Teams in top spots maintain status quo

Undefeated UCF leapfrogs Ohio St., moves up to No. 9

The top four teams remained unchanged in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night. The biggest surprise came when Central Florida (10-0) jumped over No. 10 Ohio State to grab the ninth spot.

It’s the first time a team from a Group of Five conference has been ranked in the top 10.

Alabama (11-0) continued its hold on the No. 1 spot for the fourth straight week, followed by Clemson (11-0), Notre Dame (11-0) and Michigan (10-1).

It’s also the first time in the five-year history of the postseason system that the same teams held the first four spots for three straight weeks.

Georgia (10-1) remained just outside of the top four again at No. 5, followed by No. 6 Oklahoma (10-1), No. 7 LSU (9-2) and No. 8 Washington State (10-1).

“We spent considerable time talking about Ohio State and UCF, and we said while UCFmay not have the depth of talent of Ohio State, t he committee thought they’re playing more as an all-around team after Week 12,” playoff selection committee chairman Rob Mullens said.

Ohio State managed to slip past Maryland 52-51 in overtime Saturday. The Buckeyes have struggled on defense during the past few weeks, with the team ranked No. 73 nationally in defense.

Elsewhere, Florida (8-3) moved up to No. 11 ahead of its showdown with rival Florida State.

This is the fourth of the six weekly rankings released by the 13-member selection committee, with the final standings to be revealed 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 Five earns a spot in one of the access bowl games. The College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday, Jan. 7, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

The selection committee is composed of 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.