Clemson, Auburn jump to 1-2 for CFP
After another chaotic weekend, two new teams took the top spots in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings released last night.
Clemson (11-1) grabbed the No.1 spot for the first time since the release of the final playoff rankings in 2015. The Tigers benefitted from previous No. 1 Alabama’s loss to Auburn in Saturday’s Iron Bowl.
The defending national champions will play in the ACC title game Saturday against No. 7 Miami (101), which suffered its first loss of the season against unranked Pittsburgh on Friday. The Hurricanes dropped five spots after falling to the Panthers.
“The committee continues to be impressed with how balanced the Tigers are on both sides of the ball and how that’s translated into an impressive seasonlong body of work,” CFP committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said.
Auburn (10-2) pushed its way into the playoff discussion and took the No. 2 spot after knocking off Alabama. It was the second time the Tigers defeated the No. 1 team in the rankings this season. They beat thenNo. 1 Georgia on Nov. 11. The No. 6 Bulldogs can get revenge Saturday against Auburn in the SEC title game. The winner is expected to earn a spot in the national semifinals.
Oklahoma (11-1) moved up a spot to No. 3, continuing its march toward a third consecutive Big 12 title. The Sooners will be challenged by No. 11 TCU (10-2) on Saturday in the conference’s first championship game in more than a decade.
Wisconsin (12-0) remains one of just two unde- feated teams in the country and broke into the top four for the first time this season at No. 4. Alabama (11-1) fell to fifth and is out of the top four for the first time since Nov. 11, 2014.
The Crimson Tide join Ohio State (10-2) on the wrong side of the playoff semifinal cut line. The Buckeyes, who moved up to eighth this week, will take on Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship Saturday. A win against the Badgers could force the selection committee to give serious consideration to Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes.
UCF (11-0) continues to be hindered by its weak strength of schedule. The Knights moved up one spot to No. 14, sitting behind No. 13 Washington (10-2) and No. 12 Stanford (9-3), among others.
The Knights will host No. 20 Memphis (10-1) in the American Athletic Conference championship Saturday. The winner is expected to be the highestranked Group of 5 champion and earn a spot in the Peach Bowl.
This is the fifth of six rankings released by the 13-member selection committee. The final poll will be revealed live on ESPN at noon Sunday. The top four teams qualify for the two semifinal games, which will be held at the Rose and Sugar bowls on New Year’s Day. The winners will meet in the national championship game on Jan. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.