College Football Playoff Rankings Questioned: Oregon Ducks Lead, Georgia Falls Out

In the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the Oregon Ducks stay at No. 1. There were some critical reactions to the selection committee's decision to move the Georgia Bulldogs to No. 12, and the Miami Hurricanes to No. 9. Strength of schedule is also being questioned for the Indiana Hoosiers and Penn State Nittany Lions.

Nov 9, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; The Duck rides a motorcycle and the Oregon Ducks take the field before a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Tuesday night marks the second release of the College Football Playoff rankings, and the Oregon Ducks stay No. 1. Behind Oregon, however, the CFP Selection Committee had some decisions to make in this week's rankings.

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes stay put, but former top-four teams in the Georgia Bulldogs and Miami Hurricanes both suffered upset losses on the road. Georgia falls to No. 12, Miami drops to No. 9. College football analyst Paul Finebaum had a harsh reaction to the rankings.

"You have to start by saying that what the committee said last night was a complete travesty," said Finebaum. "There's no getting around it. I know they work hard. They sit in a room at a five-star resort ordering caviar and champagne and sit around and talk about college football."

Nov 9, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; The Duck rides a motorcycle and the Oregon Ducks take the field before a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

"Georgia started the season against Clemson, which has been ranked in the top 10 at the time. Their road schedule has been the toughest of anyone in the country, as you pointed out. They went to Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss. They've all been ranked in the top 10," Finebaum continued.

In the current rankings, Georgia would miss the playoff despite the No. 12 ranking, assuming Boise State receives the final spot as the fifth conference champion.

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns and No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions replace Georgia and Miami, and the Big Ten Conference has three out of the top four teams, four out of the top five with No. 5 Indiana. The Big Ten and SEC are tied with four teams in the top 12.

"Are you serious? What has Penn State done this year? Their most impressive win, I think, was at Southern Cal, a five-loss team, and against Michigan, another five-loss team," said Finebaum.

Penn State's James Franklin, left, talks to Ohio State's Ryan Day before a game on Nov. 2, 2024 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions lost, 20-13, pushing Franklin's all-time record against the Buckeyes to 1-10. / Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Finebaum later mentioned Penn State's win over Illinois in September, but the Fighting Illinis have lost to Oregon and Minnesota in their last two games.

The final bracket will look much different because the first four rankings are reserved for the four highest-ranked conference champions at the end of the season.

No. 6 BYU defeated Utah with a last-minute field goal. The game's officiating has sparked controversy, but the Cougars are now 9-0 with wins over No. 14 SMU and No. 16 Kansas State. Is BYU's resume better than Indiana's? For now, the Cougars remain one spot behind the Hoosiers.

Nov 9, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The argument is potentially irrelevant because the Hoosiers face Ohio State on Saturday. It will be Indiana coach Curt Cignetti's toughest test of the season, but it's an opportunity to prove the critics wrong. A win over the Buckeyes all-but guarantees the Hoosiers an appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game.

With three weeks left in the regular season, the rankings are bound to change. As it currently stands, the highest seeds would belong to Oregon (Big Ten), Texas (SEC), BYU (Big 12), and Miami (ACC) in the playoff bracket. However, the rankings will not reflect the automatic bids in the top-four until after the conference champions have been decided.

Here are the College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

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

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