There's a new number one in town. After some big conference games in week seven, the previous top dog in the playoff has been usurped. There weren't any crazy upsets like in previous weeks, but there was enough movement to drop two teams and add two new ones to the field in our latest prediction.
Rank | Team | How They Made It | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Texas | SEC Champion | 2 |
2. | Oregon | Big Ten Champion | 5 |
3. | Miami (FL) | ACC Champion | 3 |
4. | Iowa State | Big 12 Champion | Unranked |
5. | Ohio State | At-Large | 1 |
6. | Penn State | At-Large | 6 |
7. | Georgia | At-Large | 7 |
8. | Tennessee | At-Large | 8 |
9. | Alabama | At-Large | 9 |
10. | LSU | At-Large | Unranked |
11. | Clemson | At-Large | 11 |
12. | Boise State | MW Champion | 12 |
Dropped from rankings: Utah, Ole Miss
After a close loss to Oregon, Ohio State slides out of the automatic bid for the first time this season, replaced by the very team they lost against. The Buckeyes may very well reclaim their spot atop the Big Ten, but if Oregon can win out, they'll deserve the crown. Texas claims the number one slot and, if we're honest, they have a very good chance of keeping it the rest of the season. Utah held on as long as they could, but Iowa State remains undefeated to claim the last of the top four slots, jumping all the way up from being unranked the first six weeks.
LSU joins the playoff for the first time this season after an overtime victory against Ole Miss, who now with two losses, drops out completely. The Tigers have clawed their way up from an early loss to USC, but may not hold the spot for long with Alabama and Texas A&M still on the schedule. The rest of the field remains largely unchanged with Boise State still maintaining hold of the Group Five bid, and Penn State and Tennessee both sneaking out overtime victories.