The fourth College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings are set ahead of major conference championship games this coming weekend.
And with little time left to make up ground, there were some major shakeups in the latest rankings with some power programs now left outside, looking in.
Here’s a complete breakdown of the latest CFP rankings.
The top team remained the same, but the projected playoff field changed, starting in the top five.
No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Notre Dame made up the top four spots as revealed Tuesday night.
After losing to Michigan over the weekend, Ohio State slid to No. 6.
University of Miami, who lost to Syracuse and missed out on a spot in the ACC Championship game this weekend, fell drastically to No. 12, leaving them potentially out the outs depending on the outcomes of this weekend’s slate of games.
But perhaps the biggest surprise was perennial power Alabama moving back into the projected playoff bracket at No. 11, despite having three losses and not playing in this weekend’s SEC Championship game.
Alabama still isn’t locked into the playoffs. If Clemson wins the ACC title, securing an automatic bid, a two-loss SMU team that is currently ranked ahead of Alabama would likely remain in discussion for the final playoff spot.
As for Miami, they are the first team out of the bracket, even with one less loss than Alabama. Miami’s lost two of its last three games, hurting itself in the eyes of the CFP committee. Moreover, Miami lacks a ranked win while Alabama has three.
"Alabama is 3-1 against current top-25 teams and Miami is 0-1. Alabama is 6-1 against teams above .500 and Miami is 4-2."
CFP Selection Committee Chair Warde Manuel on why Alabama is ranked above Miami in the latest CFP rankings. pic.twitter.com/0gWteS5nA8
— ESPN (@espn) December 4, 2024