The Penultimate CFB Playoff Rankings Are Here — It’s Win & In for the Top-4
One more to go! The fifth CFB Playoff Rankings were revealed last night, and they set the stage for a must-see weekend of conference championships. Four teams control their own fate — #1 Georgia, #2 Michigan, #3 Washington and #4 Florida State — but four other one-loss teams are still lurking behind chaos. Any missteps from the top-4 and we’ll be on the edge of our seats come next Tuesday. Here’s where they stand. Plus, we give a breakdown of each conference championship matchup and the potential CFB Playoff implications.
CFB Playoff Rankings (5 of 6)
1. Georgia (12-0) | —
2. Michigan (12-0) | —
3. Washington (12-0) | ↑1
4. Florida State (12-0) | ↑1
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5. Oregon (11-1) | ↑1
6. Ohio State (11-1) | ↓3
7. Texas (11-1) | —
8. Alabama (11-1) | —
CFB Playoff Scenarios
Pac-12: #5 Oregon vs. #3 Washington
(Fri. 8:00 pm ET, ABC)
Winner take all! There’s little doubt that the winner of the Oregon-Washington rematch will earn a playoff spot. A victory for the Huskies will complete a perfect regular season. Revenge for the Ducks should earn them the edge and likely be enough to swap places in the CFB Playoff top 4.
Big 12: #18 Oklahoma State vs. #7 Texas
(Sat. Noon ET, ABC)
Texas doesn’t control its own destiny, but a win here for a 12-1 record could give them hope. They’d need a convincing win over OK-State, and a combination of losses by Florida State, Michigan and/or Georgia could create a scenario where the Longhorns sneak in. Texas’ only loss of the year was to #12 Oklahoma by four points.
SEC: #1 Georgia vs. #8 Alabama
(Sat. 4:00 pm ET, CBS)
The rivalry’s next chapter! The Bulldogs’ 29-game win streak gets put to the test Saturday against their SEC rivals. Believe it or not, a win by Bama and a loss for the Dawgs — especially an ugly loss — could bump the Crimson Tide into the top 4 and see UGA slip at the wrong time. We view this one as a possible win-and-in game for Alabama.
Big Ten: #2 Michigan vs. #16 Iowa
(Sat. 8:00 pm ET, FOX)
There’s no playoff hope for Iowa at #16, but Michigan likely needs this win to secure its spot in the top-4. A loss here, even with wins against Penn State and Ohio State, could be catastrophic. If the Wolverines do falter, we might see a playoff void of a Big Ten team — wouldn’t that be crazy?
ACC: #14 Louisville vs. #4 Florida State
(Sat. 8:00 pm ET, ABC)
There’s no room for error here with the Seminoles. Florida State may be clinging to the #4 seed, but they’re without starting QB Jordan Travis, and few members of the committee don’t view them as the same team they were before his season-ending injury. A loss for FSU is game over.
Image via @CFBPlayoff Twitter
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