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Big Ten Earns Four Top Five Spots in Latest College Football Playoff Rankings

The Big Ten Conference once again dominated the top of the College Football Playoff rankings.

Austin Jacobsen

Nov 9, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) dances into the end zone untouched by Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Nyland Green (2) during the first half at Ohio Stadium.
Nov 9, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) dances into the end zone untouched by Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Nyland Green (2) during the first half at Ohio Stadium. / Barbara Perenic/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

The Big Ten Conference has tightened its grip at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings.

No. 1 Oregon remained at the top of the playoff committee's rankings released Tuesday night, with Ohio State (No. 2), Penn State (No. 4) and Indiana (No. 5) staying near the top. The Southeastern Conference had three top-10 programs in No. 3 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 10 Alabama.

The SEC led all conferences with four projected playoff teams in the revamped 12-team playoff format along with five other programs listed in the top 25. The Big Ten remained top-heavy, with the only programs listed in the rankings being the Ducks, Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and Hoosiers.

The top four seeds receive first-round byes in the new playoff format, which assigns the top-voted major conference winners to the top spots in the bracket. Under this week's rankings, Oregon would receive the top seed followed by Texas, the Big 12's BYU, and Miami of the ACC. The Cougars were ranked No. 6 while the Hurricanes dropped to No. 9 after their loss to Georgia Tech.

Despite being ranked No. 2, Ohio State would not get a bye, instead playing a first-round home game against the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion, unless that champion should find itself ranked 11th or better. No. 13 Boise State earned that nod in this week's poll and would be featured as the No. 12 seed heading to Columbus if the season ended with this week's rankings.

Indiana Hoosiers running back Kaelon Black (8) runs with the ball while Michigan Wolverines
Nov 9, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Kaelon Black (8) runs with the ball while Michigan Wolverines linebacker Jaishawn Barham (1) defends in the second half at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Other first-round matchups would include No. 9 Notre Dame traveling to Tennessee, No. 11 Ole Miss visiting Penn State, and No. 10 Alabama making a trip to Bloomington for a battle with Indiana. No. 12 Georgia and No. 14 SMU were considered the "first two out."

The SEC had four other teams besides Georgia outside the 12-team format with No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 21 South Carolina, No. 22 LSU and No. 23 Missouri. The Big 12 also had rising programs as No. 16 Kansas State and No. 17 Colorado inched closer to the playoff discussion. The ACC had a total of four teams with Miami, SMU, No. 19 Louisville and No. 20 Clemson.

Army (9-0) remains the lone unbeaten program outside the major conferences and rose one spot to No. 24. Washington State rose to No. 18, while Tulane entered at No. 25.

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) gives direction before the snap during the second half against Mississippi
Nov 9, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) gives direction before the snap during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The four first-round games will be played at the higher-seeded teams' home campuses Dec. 20-21. The four quarterfinal contests will be played in the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls Dec. 31-Jan. 1.

The two semifinal games will take place in the Orange and Cotton bowls on Jan. 9-10. The championship game is slated for Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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