College Football Playoff rankings: Notre Dame soars into top 5, Indiana suffers stunning drop appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
On paper, Week 10 of the college football season was one of the biggest slates in the sport’s recent history. Seven games pitted ranked teams against each other and were set to shape the College Football Playoff picture for the rest of the year.
Four of those games were complete blowouts. Tennessee romped Kentucky to jump into the top 10, Georgia stomped Ole Miss 42-7 to earn the No. 1 ranking, Oregon thumped Ohio State to likely end its CFP hopes, and Alabama made a major statement by crushing LSU on the road.
The three close games also had a major impact on the rankings. Notre Dame, which entered the week at No. 11 and right on the cut line, beat former No. 1 Miami in South Bend. The Irish, assuming it wins out, will be safely in the CFP field thanks to that win. Utah stayed undefeated with a win over BYU, and now the Utes have an inside track to the Big 12 Championship and a first-round bye. Texas also cemented its spot as a likely CFP contender with a gritty road win against Missouri.
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How did all of that affect the latest CFP rankings heading into Week 11? Here’s what the committee came up with on Tuesday night.
- Georgia (8-1)
- Utah (9-0)
- Alabama (7-2)
- UCLA (9-0)
- Notre Dame (8-1)
- Texas (7-2)
- Miami (FL) (8-1)
- Tennessee (7-2)
- Indiana (8-1)
- BYU (7-2)
- Kentucky (7-2)
- Texas Tech (8-1)
- Wake Forest (8-1)
- Houston (7-2)
- Iowa (7-2)
- Oregon (6-3)
- South Carolina (6-3)
- USC (7-2)
- Ole Miss (6-3)
- Ohio State (6-3)
- LSU (6-3)
- Missouri (6-3)
- Arizona (7-2)
- Boise State (8-1)
- Oklahoma State (6-3)
There are a few stunning developments here. First, Indiana dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 despite having a bye in Week 10. Most of the teams that the Hoosiers have beaten this year all lost on Saturday, which didn’t help the resume for Curt Cignetti and company. Miami also dropped six spots to No. 7 despite losing by just a touchdown on the road at Notre Dame, which came as a big surprise.
Further down the rankings, Oregon jumped up and is now the highest-ranked three-loss team after winning in Columbus on Saturday. The Ducks should be able to get to 9-3, and even if they don’t get into the Big Ten title game, Dan Lanning’s squad is now in good position to get an at-large spot if they get some help in front of them.
Week 11 will be another pivotal one for a lot of teams in the rankings. Texas heads to Baton Rouge for a tilt with No. 21 LSU on Saturday night in a game that could eliminate the Tigers from CFP contention. The Longhorns, who are ranked at No. 6 despite having just two losses, are probably safe even with a loss.
No. 2 Utah will also look to keep its unbeaten season going with a win in a tricky road game against No. 23 Arizona. If the Utes lose, the Big 12 title picture becomes extremely muddy, and there would be a handful of Big 12 teams competing for a CFP spot. Texas Tech also plays Oklahoma State on Saturday in a game with similar conference title implications.
In the Big Ten, Indiana gets a chance to prove itself to the committee and rise back up the rankings with a game against No. 18 USC. The Trojans desperately need a win to stay in the Big Ten title picture and the CFP race, and Indiana might need it as well based on its fall this week.
Related: Hunter Yurachek calls Indiana ‘victim of having a bye week’ in latest CFP rankings
Related: Where Miami football falls in CFP rankings after loss to Notre Dame
Source: Yahoo Sports
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