Michigan moves into fourth spot
Michigan climbed into the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time since 2016.
The Wolverines, who trounced Penn State 42-7 Saturday, moved up from the No. 5 spot after thenNo. 3 LSU lost to No. 1 Alabama.
The top two spots remain unchanged this week, with the Crimson Tide No. 1 and Clemson at No. 2. The Tigers are one of four remaining undefeated teams after they dominated Louisville 77-16.
Notre Dame moved up to third, tying its highest playoff ranking since Nov. 4, 2017, after improving to 9-0 following a hard-fought win over Northwestern. The Fighting Irish remain just ahead of Michigan based on t heir head- t o- head matchup in the season opener, a game Notre Dame won 24-17.
Georgia, which secured a spot in the SEC championship game against Alabama with a win over Kentucky over the weekend, moves up a spot to No. 5.
Oklahoma moves up to sixth and is the Big 12’s best hope for a playoff contender.
LSU slid down to No. 7, followed by Washington State, West Virginia and Ohio State to round out the top 10.
Kentucky dropped to No. 11 after its loss to Georgia.
Central Florida (8-0), which holds the nation’s longest winning streak at 21 games, remained unchanged at No. 12.
This is the second of six weekly rankings released by the selection committee, with the final rankings to be revealed Dec. 2. The 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 New Year’s Six 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 make it into the rankings Tuesday, with Fresno State (7-1) coming in at No. 23. It’s the second time the Bulldogs have been ranked.
The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is set for Jan. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The selection committee is composed of Rob Mullens, Frank Beamer, Paola Boivin, Jeff Bower, Joe Castiglione, Herb Deromedi, Ken Hatfield, Chris Howard, Bobby Johnson, Ronnie Lott, Gene Smith, Todd Stansbury and Scott Stricklin.