ACC faces nightmare scenario in latest CFP rankings
ACC could miss College Football Playoff if Duke upsets Virginia
- The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings set the stage for conference championship week.
- The top of the projected field looks great, with Ohio State and Indiana still in the top two spots.
- Alabama’s bizarre jump over Notre Dame came at an odd time, benefiting the Crimson Tide and hurting the struggling Irish.
This is the last practice round before the finals. Can the College Football Playoff Selection Committee pass the test?
Conference Championship Week presents a unique perspective in the field projection of 12 teams. The automatic bid stands, but players who don’t win a conference title or don’t play can no longer control their fate. As a result, the penultimate ranking is the ultimate precedent for how a team will feel on Selection Sunday.
Does the team feel like it has a chance or does it feel good? Or does that hill seem too big to climb? It’s sure to elicit a lot of emotions about where their team lands on the final day, some of which are justified and others that don’t make much sense.
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With the stage set for Conference Championship Week, here’s how each spot in the final College Football Playoff rankings fared before the playoff field is officially set on Sunday, Dec. 7.
1. Ohio State: A+
The Buckeyes are in a great position to defend their title as the top seed in the bracket. They just need to beat the only remaining undefeated team in the Bowl Subdivision.
2. Indiana: A+
There’s a lot of history at stake in Indiana’s Big Ten Championship Game, including a No. 1 ranking and its first Rose Bowl appearance since the 1967 season.
3. Georgia: A+
Georgia is in great position to advance to the quarterfinal round of the Sugar Bowl if they can secure the SEC title.
4. Texas Tech: A-
It’s possible that Texas Tech suddenly gets a first-round bye, but it would have been pretty spectacular for the Red Raiders to host a playoff game.
5. Oregon State: B
The Ducks could finish in the top four, but having three Big Ten teams will be a big topic.
6. Mississippi State: A
Credit the committee for not punishing Mississippi for losing its coach, and the Rebels have a slightly better resume than Texas A&M.
7. Texas A&M: B-
While this decrease feels significant, it’s a reasonable number for a Texas A&M team that hasn’t had a notable win since Week 2 against Notre Dame. At least the Aggies will get to play a home playoff game.
8.28:B+
Some may argue that Oklahoma has a better resume than Texas A&M, but there’s nothing wrong with being inferior to the Aggies.
9. Alabama: F
Jumping over Notre Dame makes no sense at all, but it looks like they’ll really protect the Crimson Tide no matter what happens in the SEC title game.
10. Notre Dame: D
The Fighting Irish could be left behind on the field, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out throughout the conference title weekend.
11. Brigham Young: C+
It’s either win the Big 12 title or go home for the Cougars, an unfortunate reality for an 11-win team.
12. Miami: B
With losses to SMU and Louisville looming large, Miami will likely be out, and a win against Notre Dame doesn’t seem to matter.
13. Texas: B-
Let’s give Texas credit for handing Texas A&M its first loss. Despite having more losses than Vanderbilt and losing to unranked opponents, the Longhorns still beat Vanderbilt for a ranked win.
14. Vanderbilt: B+
Vanderbilt probably wants to move up the standings instead of staying put, and is almost certain it won’t make the 12-team field.
15. Utah: A
It would be tough to move Utah down two spots, but they had already reached a plateau and didn’t have a great chance of making the playoffs.
16. Southern California: B+
One of the better three-loss teams, USC benefited from Michigan’s loss to Ohio State.
17. Virginia: A
It doesn’t really matter where Virginia ends up, since the ACC title should guarantee a playoff berth and there’s enough space ahead of the Group of 5 teams to be the No. 11 seed.
18. Arizona: C+
The biggest jump in the rankings could go either way if Arizona has the best resume of the teams ahead.
19. Michigan: B-
The University of Michigan’s ranking last week was quite a headache, but the Wolverines dropped considerably after losing to Ohio State.
20. Tulane: A
Now no longer the only Group of Five team in the standings, Tulane knows a win will clinch its first playoff appearance.
21. Houston: D
It’s certainly an option for the Cougars to beat a five-win team and enter the rankings ahead of a potential playoff team.
It’s always strange when a team gets promoted even after losing. However, the Yellow Jackets moved up in the standings after a close game against Georgia.
23. Iowa State: F
Is Iowa really the best team with four losses?The Hawkeyes have no big wins.
24. North Texas: A-
The Mean Green have given clear instructions that if they can knock out Tulane, they should be happy to make the field.
James Madison won’t be able to get into the playoff field unless an upset occurs on Saturday, Dec. 6, behind two teams in the American Conference title game.
