Undefeated Oregon remained atop the second tier of the College Football Playoff rankings, while Tuesday’s poll pushed Georgia completely out of contention after its lopsided loss to Mississippi.
Led by the Ducks and then Ohio State, the Big Ten captured four of the top five spots — a run interrupted only by Texas of the Southeastern Conference, which was seeded No. 3 and would receive a first-round bye.
Georgia’s 28-10 loss to Ole Miss dropped the Bulldogs from third place to twelfth, but they would be the first team to drop out as No. 13 Boise State of the Mountain West would receive an automatic bid and the last place in 12th place. team bracket as the fifth best conference champion.
BYU was ranked sixth but would get a first-round bye as Big 12 champions if it wins.
Those byes go to the four highest-ranked conference champions, meaning Miami of the Atlantic Coast Conference would get a week off in this week’s version of the bracket, despite a loss to Georgia Tech that dropped the Hurricanes five spots to No. 9.
The other ranked teams: No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 10 Alabama and No. 11 Ole Miss.
Both the SEC and Big Ten placed four teams in the expected Week 2 bracket.
Indiana players celebrate after beating Michigan in an NCAA college football game in Bloomington, Indiana, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. Credit: AP/AJ MAST
The undefeated Army of the American Athletic Conference moved up one spot to No. 24, while Colorado came in at No. 17. Coach Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes can earn a spot in the Big 12 title game by winning their next two games.