UCF vaults to No. 9 in newest rankings

UCF became the first team from a Group of 5 conference to crack the top 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings, moving up two spots to No. 9 in the latest poll released Tuesday evening.

The Knights (10-0) moved a step closer to a possible spot in the two semifinal games with an emphatic win over Cincinnati in front of a nationally televised audience Saturday, extending the nation's longest win streak to 23 games.

Alabama remained No. 1 atop the rankings, followed by No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 4 Michigan.

UCF jumped Ohio State to get to the ninth spot despite the fact that the Buckeyes won last week.

“While UCF may not have the depth or talent of Ohio State, right now UCF has the better all-around team,” Playoff chair Rob Mullens said on ESPN when asked of the reason for the move. “We watched UCF have a strong performance against Cincinnati. When you watch Ohio State, they struggled against Maryland.”

Florida (8-3) moved up two spots to No. 11, with the Gators making the case for a possible spot in a New Year's Six game.

This is the fourth of the six weekly rankings released by the 13-member selection committee, with the final standings to be revealed on Dec. 2. Those rankings will determine the four semifinalists along with the teams participating in the remainder of the New Year's Six bowl games.

The two semifinals, which rotate yearly, will take place in Miami at the Orange Bowl and in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 29.

The remaining New Year's Six games will be hosted by the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls.

The top-ranked conference champion from the Group of 5 leagues automatically earns a spot in one of the access bowl games.

UCF earned the spot last season, beating Auburn in the Peach Bowl.

The Knights weren't the only Group of 5 team to earn a spot into the playoff rankings Tuesday, with Utah State (21) and Boise State (23).