Georgia, ’Bama, Notre Dame, Clemson still top 4

The top of College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday night look just like the top of last week’s unveiling from the selection committee.

Georgia retains the No. 1 position followed by fellow SEC rival Alabama. The Bulldogs have already clinched the SEC East title. They’re waiting to see if the Crimson Tide can get past Mississippi State and Auburn to meet them in Atlanta.

Notre Dame holds down the third spot with Clemson in fourth. If the season ended today, Georgia would face the Tigers in one of the semifinals and Alabama would meet the Irish in the other matchup.

Oklahoma remains on the outside looking in despite a road win at then-No. 11 Oklahoma State. The Sooners have a chance to impress the committee further and possibly allays some of the fears about their defense when they host No. 6 TCU. It could be the first of two matchups between the schools with the Big 12 returning to a championship game.

Miami rose three spots to No. 7 after beating then-No. 13 Virginia Tech. The unbeaten Hurricanes get a visit from Notre Dame in a game that will be huge for both team’s chances.

Wisconsin is the lowest of the four major unbeatens at No. 8. The Badgers haven’t played a difficult schedule to date, but will finish with Iowa, Michigan and a strong opponent in Big Ten title game if they keep winning.

The silver lining for Wisconsin is this week two teams in front of them are sure to lose. And either Georgia or Alabama are certain to lose as well. Washington and Auburn complete the top 10. Falling out of the top 10 were Ohio State and Penn State, which were sixth and seventh, respectively, before losing on the road in the Big Ten.

The top four teams in final rankings on December 3 will play in the semifinals. Those two games will be played in the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on January 1. The championship game will be played on January 8 in Atlanta.