Undefeated Oregon stayed No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday, but the Ducks’ view from the top changed dramatically, with more upheaval assured thanks to a schedule ripe with playoff-caliber games in November.
Four of the top five teams reside in the Big Ten, with Oregon joined by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana in the second rankings reveal of the season. Texas moved into the No. 3 spot.
Losses last week by Georgia, Miami (Fla.) and LSU assured a major shuffle from the initial 2024 playoff rankings revealed seven days earlier.
Texas (8-1, 4-1 SEC) and Tennessee (8-1, 5-1) climbed to third and seventh, respectively. BYU remained undefeated and slid up to No. 6, while Oregon (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) and Indiana (10-0, 7-0) are surprising flag-bearers for the Big Ten with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
After the Hoosiers handled Michigan last week, they reached the bye week with an extra seven days to prepare for a visit to the Horseshoe to take on Ohio State (9-1). Oregon defeated Ohio State 32-31 on Oct. 12.
A 12-team playoff debuts in December, opening the door to eight additional teams compared to the previous CFP bracket. Whereas even SEC teams with two losses would be all but eliminated from the original four-team playoff, No. 10 Alabama (7-2), No. 11 Ole Miss (8-2), No. 13 Georgia (7-2) and No. 15 Texas A&M (7-2) maintain a fighting chance to break into the 12-team bracket behind the current one-loss SEC teams.
In the midst of the program’s first 10-win season, Indiana first-year coach Frank Cignetti is attempting to author a season for the books. He said he realized quickly upon taking the job he was encountering a somber or defeated aura around the football program and vowed to shift it instantly.
History sides with the Buckeyes, who play Northwestern at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Ohio State has won 29 consecutive games against Indiana with an average margin of victory of 37 points. The last win for the Hoosiers in the series was in 1988.
Ohio State delivered Penn State its only loss this season, 20-13 on Nov. 2. The Nittany Lions are clear of their biggest regular-season obstacles on the schedule with trips to Purdue, Minnesota and a home game against Maryland left to play.
A variable without a precise measure at the moment is how the CFP committee reconciles head-to-head carnage in power conferences. The answer should become more telling in future rankings.
Georgia handed Texas its only loss but lost to Alabama and Ole Miss. The Longhorns still have a matchup with A&M on Nov. 30.
Tennessee beat Alabama and visits Athens to challenge Georgia in one of the marquee matchups Saturday.
Notre Dame (8-1) rides a seven-game winning streak into Saturday’s game against Virginia before a potential playoff elimination game Nov. 23 with No. 24 Army (9-0, 7-0 American Athletic Conference) at Yankee Stadium. The Black Knights are 9-0 for the first time since 1996. Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois 16-14 on Sept. 7.
Miami (Fla.) lost to Georgia Tech 28-23 last week and dropped to No. 9 in the rankings. The Hurricanes missed the chance to surge ahead in the rankings and are now square with No. 14 SMU (8-1), but the Mustangs are the only undefeated team (5-0) in conference play and lost to BYU head-to-head on Sept. 6.
An expanded playoff field could mean room for underdogs from outside the Power 4 conferences.
Boise State (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) remained at No. 12 in this week’s rankings and shares the lead in the Mountain West with Colorado State. Powered by Heisman Trophy candidate running back Ashton Jeanty — the FBS leader in rushing yards (1,525), rushing touchdowns (20), total touchdowns (21) and all-purpose yards (1,606) — the Broncos were last ranked in the CFP poll in 2019.
CFP projected first-round byes: No. 1 seed Oregon, No. 2 seed Texas, No. 3 seed BYU, No. 4 seed Miami
CFP projected quarterfinal games (campus sites):
No. 9 seed Notre Dame at No. 8 seed Tennessee
No. 10 seed Alabama at No. 7 seed Indiana
No. 11 seed Ole Miss at No. 6 seed Penn State
No. 12 seed Boise State at No. 5 seed Ohio State
CFP rankings (different from seeds)
1. Oregon (10-0)
2. Ohio State (8-1)
3. Texas (8-1)
4. Penn State (8-1)
5. Indiana (10-0)
6. BYU (9-0)
7. Tennessee (8-1)
8. Notre Dame (8-1)
9. Miami (9-1)
10. Alabama (7-2)
11. Ole Miss (8-2)
12. Boise State (8-1)
13. Georgia (7-2)
14. SMU (8-1)
15. Texas A&M (7-2)
16. Kansas State (7-2)
17. Colorado (7-2)
18. Washington State (8-1)
19. Louisville (6-3)
20. Clemson (7-2)
21. South Carolina (6-3)
22. LSU (6-3)
23. Missouri (7-2)
24. Army (9-0)
25. Tulane (8-2)
