College Football Playoff Rankings Week 11: Oregon Replaces Ole Miss; Top 10 Due for Shakeup?
ByThe College Football Playoff (CFP) committee has altered its top four ever so slightly and now the Big 12 and Big Ten are nocking on the door.
In week 11, the CFP has released its second rankings, featuring a new number four, the Oregon Ducks. Mississippi State, Florida State and Auburn remain in the top three, in that order.
After losing to Auburn, Ole Miss dropped seven places to 11th while Kansas State (7), TCU (6) and Alabama (5) all took steps forward.
"As we said last time, our meeting this week would begin with a clean sheet of paper, and it did," selection chairman Jeff Long said in a press release. "We firmly believe this is one of the strengths of the committee. We have twelve individuals who work each week to decide who the best teams are in college football. We are not bound by last week's results and we watch the games with a fresh perspective each week."
As expected, the committee does not have a simple task ahead of them coming down to the final weeks of the season. The six teams rounding out the top 10 are playing ranked opponents this week, so the rankings are likely in for shakeup, depending if the top four can hold down their place.
Games to watch Saturday:
Ohio State (14) at Michigan State (8): Either of these teams figures to be the Big Ten's best shot at making the CFP. To break into the top four and to stay there, either team will likely have to win out and win the conference championship.
Kansas State (7) at TCU (6): Kansas State is currently leading the Big 12, but their schedule after this game is tough whereas TCU's is light. The loser of this matchup is likely to take a serious fall in the CFP rankings.
Alabama (5) at LSU (16): Alabama stands to lose significant ground whereas LSU could make a major leap. However, the former certainly has a tougher road ahead, as they host Mississippi State and Auburn.
Notre Dame (10) at Arizona State (9): As an FBS Independent team, the Irish will have a tough time getting into the CFP with two losses. With Oregon ahead of them, Arizona State is also in must-win mode.