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College Football Playoff Rankings 2024: Official Committee Releases Week 12 Poll

Scott Polacek

The calendar says November, which can mean only one thing in the college football world.

Chaos impacting the rankings and battle for the College Football Playoff.

There was certainly plenty of chaos this past weekend, as Ole Miss defeated Georgia while Georgia Tech handed Miami its first loss. Indiana and BYU also survived close scares against Michian and Utah, respectively, to preserve their undefeated records, and Alabama handled business on the road in what felt like an elimination game against LSU.

Oregon left no doubt in its win against Maryland, which means it remained in the No. 1 spot in the latest CFP rankings the selection committee released Tuesday. It should be noted the rankings look different than the projected bracket because the top four seeds and first-round byes in the 12-team field will go to the four highest-ranked conference champions.

What's more, the five highest-ranked conference champions receive an automatic spot in the field. That could allow a team like Boise State to make the playoff even if it isn't in the top 12.

With that in mind, here is the latest Top 25:

  1. Oregon
  2. Ohio State
  3. Texas
  4. Penn State
  5. Indiana
  6. BYU
  7. Tennessee
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Miami
  10. Alabama
  11. Ole Miss
  12. Georgia
  13. Boise State
  14. SMU
  15. Texas A&M
  16. Kansas State
  17. Colorado
  18. Washington State
  19. Louisville
  20. Clemson
  21. South Carolina
  22. LSU
  23. Missouri
  24. Army
  25. Tulane

It didn't take long for a complete upheaval from the first week of CFP rankings to the second week.

Georgia's loss to Ole Miss was the most noteworthy, as the SEC is now loaded with two-loss contenders in the Bulldogs, Rebels, Texas A&M, Alabama and even Missouri. One-loss Texas and Tennessee are in better position to control their own destinies, and there will only be so many spots for the SEC in the field.

The Bulldogs were No. 3 in the first poll and in ideal position, but now they have their backs against the wall heading into a crucial game against the Volunteers on Saturday.

Another loss may spell the end of the road for their CFP chances, while Tennessee can move one step closer to a potential SEC Championship Game and opportunity to play for a first-round bye.

That is the headliner game in the upcoming Week 12 slate, but the thing about chaos is it can always be lurking just around the corner.

Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Boise State and Missouri are all on the road Saturday and will look to avoid a late-season pitfall that would shake up next week's rankings. There are some tricky matchups from that group as well, including the Longhorns facing Arkansas and the Ducks playing Wisconsin.

The Razorbacks are just 5-4 on paper, but they handed Tennessee its only loss and fell by just four points against Texas A&M. It figures to be a raucous environment there and in Camp Randall Stadium when the Badgers attempt to shock the Ducks under the lights in one of the better environments in the Big Ten.

Even BYU should be careful against a 3-6 Kansas team.

While the Cougars are at home and surely expect to win, they looked far from unbeatable when they needed a defensive holding call and field goal in the final minute to escape Utah. The Jayhawks also lost by two points at Kansas State and handled Iowa State in their last two games and appear to be playing their best football of the season.

One thing is for sure. Next week's rankings will likely look different than Tuesday's.

   

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