Miami moves up to No. 2

Clemson drops to No. 3; Alabama remains at No. 1

CU FOOTBALL

Miami made a small but potentially significant move up to No. 2 behind Alabama in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night, with Clemson slipping one spot to No. 3 and Oklahoma holding at No. 4.

Wisconsin and Auburn remained next up behind the top four in a week when the top half of the selection committee’s rankings were mostly unchanged.

Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Southern California followed in the same order as they did last week. Over the next two weeks, every team in the top nine will play another team ranked in the committee’s top 25, including four games matching top playoff contenders.

The Crimson Tide will play at Auburn on Saturday to decide a spot in the SEC championship on Dec. 2. The winner plays Georgia.

The Atlantic Coast Conference championship will match Clemson and Miami on Dec. 2, and Wisconsin and Ohio State play in the Big Ten championship.

Miami’s move comes after rallying to beat Virginia on Saturday. Committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said Miami is showing characteristics of a championship team.

“When you get down the way Miami did to Virginia two times, once in each half, and you have the poise and the ability to come back and win in a convincing manner, that is special,” said Hocutt, the Texas Tech athletic director.

The Hurricanes (10-0) play at Pitt Friday and now seem better positioned to get into the playoff even with a loss to Clemson, depending on how things play out in other conferences.

So, how does this play out? On championship Saturday, the selection committee gathers at the Dallas-area resort hotel where it holds its weekly meeting to watch games together. When the games are done, Hocutt and his crew of 12 experts dig into the results and put together their final — and only truly meaningful — top 25.

Will it be a late night at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine or will the committee members be able to uncork a bottle of wine during the second half of the ACC title game? A lot depends on Alabama.

The Crimson Tide could essentially eliminate two other playoff contenders in Auburn and Georgia. The Tigers have no shot if they don’t win the Iron Bowl and the SEC title. Georgia at 11-2 with a loss in the conference title game could still have a flicker of hope to be the second SEC team in the playoff, but would need a lot of help.

At 13-0, the Crimson Tide would be seeded No. 1 and heading to New Orleans to play in the Sugar Bowl semifinal. Easy.

If Alabama loses the Iron Bowl or wins that and loses the SEC championship game, it means the committee will likely be ordering up a couple extra pots of coffee.

Playoff rankings

1. Alabama

2. Miami

3. Clemson 4. Oklahoma 5. Wisconsin 6. Auburn

7. Georgia

8. Notre Dame

9. Ohio State

10. Penn State

11. Southern Cal 12. TCU

13. Washington State 14. Mississippi State 15. UCF

16. Michigan State 17. Washington 18. LSU

19. Oklahoma State 20. Memphis

21. Stanford

22. Northwestern 23. Boise State

24. South Carolina 25. Virginia Tech Record 11-0 10-0 10-1 10-1 11-0

9-2 10-1 9-2 9-2 9-2 10-2 9-2 9-2 8-3 10-0 8-3 9-2 8-3 8-3 9-1 8-3 8-3 9-2 8-3 8-3 The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will issue rankings each Tuesday, with the final rankings being announced Sunday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m.