Four Big Ten Teams Remain in College Football Playoff's Penultimate Rankings

Despite an earth-shattering rivalry loss at home to unranked Michigan, Ohio State remained in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings, along with fellow Big Ten programs Oregon, Penn State, and Indiana.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard runs toward Michigan linebacker Ernest Hausmann. Michigan won 13-10. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tuesday's release of the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings paved the way for four Big Ten Conference teams to earn a path to the postseason.

Despite an upset loss to unranked Michigan, Ohio State remained in the playoff committee's favor, staying comfortably inside the top 10 at No. 6 after routinely checking in at No. 2 throughout the season. The Buckeyes were joined by top-rated Oregon, No. 3 Penn State, and No. 9 Indiana.

Those latest rankings place Oregon with a first-round bye, presuming the Ducks finish the season unbeaten as Big Ten Conference champions after their Saturday tilt in Indianapolis against Penn State. The Nittany Lions bumped Ohio State out of the No. 5 position in the first round, as the Buckeys dropped to the sixth seed. Indiana would move to the tenth seed for a road contest in their first-round playoff matchup.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel takes a snap as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks host the Washington Huskies Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Southeastern Conference rejoiced as four teams appeared in the committee's playoff rankings, nearly guaranteeing all the representatives in a spot in the championship field. Texas moved to No. 2, with Georgia advancing to No. 5, Tennessee at No. 7, and Alabama at No. 11. Barring an upset in the ACC Championship game, the Crimson Tide appear to be back in the College Football Playoff for a record nine times in 11 seasons.

Despite losing to unranked Oklahoma two weeks ago, Alabama was moved ahead of Miami after the Hurricanes suffered a defeat at Syracuse 42-38 Saturday. Due to the current rankings, Miami would be out of the 12-team playoff because the fifth-highest-rated conference champion would advance ahead.

Miami instead would hope for an upset from No. 17 Clemson as the Tigers take on No. 8 SMU. A loss for the Mustangs may drop them out of the top 12, opening a spot for the Hurricanes to pass their fellow conference foe. In the current projections, Texas would await the winner of a Georgia-Indiana matchup in Athens, Notre Dame would host Alabama with the winner taking on SMU, Tennessee would visit Ohio State to take on Oregon, and Penn State would welcome Arizona State as the victor would battle Boise State.

Nov 29, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty runs the ball during the second half against the Oregon State Beavers. Boise State defeated Oregon State 34-18. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Several teams will still be playing for automatic qualifying bids for the playoff this weekend, as the Mountain West Conference, Big 12 Conference, and likely ACC Conference title games will determine one bid for each league. CFP selection committee chairman Warde Manuel said on ESPN's rankings release show Tuesday night that teams not competing in championship games this weekend, including Alabama and Miami, wouldn't have their rankings changed because they're not playing another game.

"Any team that is not playing right now, we don't have a data point to rearrange where we have those teams ranked, and so that is set in terms of how we see them going into the final week of championship week," Manuel said. "There's nothing that's going to change for us to evaluate them any differently than we have now.

If Boise State would lose to UNLV on Friday, the Big 12 title contest between Arizona State and Iowa State would likely determine the fourth-highest rated conference champion.

The remaining rankings included a total of seven SEC teams: Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 14 South Carolina, and No. 19 Missouri. The Big Ten featured five total teams including No. 21 Illinois, while the ACC included four programs with No. 17 Clemson and No. 22 Syracuse. The Big 12 has No. 15 Arizona State, No. 16 Iowa State, No. 18 BYU, and No. 22 Colorado. The highest ranked non-Power Four conference programs include No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 10 Boise State, No. 20 UNLV, No. 24 Army, and No. 25 Memphis.

Iowa State defensive back Myles Purchase (right) celebrates after a fumble recovery against Kansas State on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

THE UPDATED CFP BRACKET PROJECTION 🏈 pic.twitter.com/5dB1gqvoD0

— ESPN (@espn) December 4, 2024

College Football Playoff Rankings

1. Oregon
2. Texas
3. Penn State
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia
6. Ohio State
7. Tennessee
8. SMU
9. Indiana
10. Boise State
11. Alabama
12. Miami (FL)
13. Ole Miss
14. South Carolina
15. Arizona State
16. Iowa State
17. Clemson
18. BYU
19. Missouri
20. UNLV
21. Illinois
22. Syracuse
23. Colorado
24. Army
25. Memphis

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