Week 10 shook up the College Football Playoff picture in a hurry, and the selection committee is about to have a brand-new team sitting at No. 1.
The headline result came in South Bend, where No. 11 Notre Dame survived and handed No.
1 Miami its first loss of the season, 31-24. That alone is enough to force a change at the top when the committee unveils its second rankings of the year.
Miami wasn’t the only playoff contender to take a hit. No.
6 Kentucky dropped its second game, getting blown out by No. 13 Tennessee, 34-6.
No. 12 Ohio State also stumbled, falling to No.
23 Oregon, 41-28. The Buckeyes entered the weekend just outside the 12-team field, with No.
25 Boise State holding the final spot, and that picture is expected to look a lot different now.
While some contenders slipped, others made loud statements. No.
2 Georgia rolled past No. 10 Ole Miss, 42-7.
No. 3 Utah won the Holy War against No.
9 BYU, 28-20. No.
5 Alabama also delivered one of the weekend’s strongest showings, knocking off No. 14 LSU, 31-13.
The Crimson Tide, a team that drew plenty of criticism in last week’s rankings, backed up their place with a convincing win over Lane Kiffin’s Tigers.
The new rankings were set to be revealed on ESPN at approximately 9 p.m. ET, after the Duke-Michigan State men’s basketball game and before Kansas takes on Kentucky. The committee’s second release comes with the 12-team playoff in its final season, and the format continues to give the top four teams byes regardless of conference champion status.
Here’s how the rankings stood before the update:
- Miami
- Georgia
- Utah
- Indiana
- Alabama
- Kentucky
- Texas
- UCLA
- BYU
- Ole Miss
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- LSU
- Texas Tech
- Wake Forest
- Houston
- Missouri
- Iowa
- USC
- South Carolina
- Arizona
- Oregon
- Florida
- Boise State
The committee also operates under conflict-of-interest rules, with members barred from discussing or voting on programs tied to their own conflicts.
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It is familiar territory for Oregon, which has heard versions of this before from opposing coaches and has often turned those comments into fuel. Whether the Ducks need any extra motivation is one thing, but remarks like these tend to linger in the building, especially when a marquee matchup is right around the corner. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Lost Another Key Defender At The Worst Time
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Tuioti leaves behind a productive season that included 44 total tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble, production that helped give Oregon some edge and disruption from the linebacker spot. The Ducks now have to absorb the loss without one of their more reliable defenders, and the timing only adds to the challenge as they try to keep the defense intact down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Dakorien Moore Just Earned The Kind Of Praise Oregon Fans Notice
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Dez Bryant, the Dallas Cowboys legend who had also been at Moores last high school game, praised the receiver publicly on social media after the performance. Moore acknowledged Bryants support and reflected on having him there in high school, a small but meaningful connection for a young player whose biggest moments are already starting to get noticed far beyond Eugene. [Read more 🡒]