Georgia got a boost to No. 4, Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M remained in the top three and, in what is starting to feel like a weekly ritual in the College Football Playoff rankings, everyone is wondering what could happen to Miami.
The Hurricanes were ranked 13th in Tuesday’s playoff reveal — the top team in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a reserved spot in the projected 12-team bracket. But their two conference losses put them far from winning the league, and their best chance of making the playoffs — with an at-large berth — depends on help from above them.
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“Miami has to continue to win the football games that they have in front of them, and good things will happen,” explained Hunter Yurachek, who took over this week as chairman of the selection committee and answered more questions about the Canes than any other team in the rankings.
Obviously, their best chance would be to get past No. 10 Alabama, No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Utah to get into the same section of the bracket as ninth-ranked Notre Dame this week. That, in turn, would make Miami’s win over the Fighting Irish in August more relevant to the committee, which likes to compare teams very close to each other.
Meanwhile, it’s No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Virginia, each with an ACC loss, that have the best chance of winning the conference and the automatic bid in the 12-team field that goes with it.
Does that make sense? There are two more rankings on Tuesday evening to position everyone before the official ranking is published on December 7.
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The playoffs begin Dec. 19, and the title game will be a month later just outside — where else? -Miami.
No big surprises among the top 10
No. 10 Alabama fell six spots after 23-21 loss to Oklahomawhich climbed three notches to No. 8.
Ranking the Tide below the Sooners was an easy choice. Why they were below Notre Dame has a lot to do with it, Yurachek said, comparing the losses: Notre Dame fell to Miami and Texas A&M, while the Tide’s Week 1 loss to Florida State It seems to get worse every week.
Georgia moved up one spot to No. 4, which would give the Bulldogs the final first-round bye in this week’s projected bracket. They were followed by Texas Tech, Mississippi and Oregon.
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No. 3 Texas A&M overcame a 30-3 halftime deficit to beat South Carolina 31-30. This came a week after No. 2 Indiana needed a late rally to barely beat Penn State.
“What the committee saw at Indiana and Texas A&M is that good teams find ways to win even when they’re not playing their best,” Yurachek said.
Meanwhile, no one has come within 17 points of No. 1 Ohio State since week 1.
Eve of the conference
SEC: Texas plunged seven places with its not-so-pretty defeat against Georgia. … The SEC’s best hope for having a sixth team in the field now belongs to Vanderbilt, which appears stuck at 14th. But where would the Commodores fit in? …Maybe Alabama’s? The Tide — teetering around the bubble and with a game at Auburn on Nov. 29 — need to watch him.
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Big Ten: Saturday is No. 15 Southern California’s big chance, with a matchup against No. 7 Oregon. No. 18 Michigan also lingers with this game against Ohio State in two weeks. Setbacks in either competition would be the best chance for this to be a four-team league.
Big 12: No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Utah are both on the bubble and would likely need a win over Texas Tech in the title game to give this league two teams. But Commissioner Brett Yormark seems satisfied: “I’m excited to see the Big 12 Conference getting the respect it deserves,” he said.
ACC: Virginia’s best win of the season – at Louisville – was devalued a little more when the Cardinals lost to Clemson last week. Georgia Tech didn’t impress anyone with a last-second victory against Boston College (1-10).
Group of 5: At No. 24, Tulane is the third team in three weeks to occupy the G5 spot. Power 4 games against Duke, Ole Miss and Northwestern help the Green Wave, but they would still need to win the tough American. (Think Navy.)
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Projected first round matches
No. 12 Tulane vs. No. 5 Texas Tech: This would be their first game since 1971. Their 1960 meeting was a classic showdown between the Southeast and Southwest conferences.
No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin takes over as coach against one of the few teams not looking to hire him.
No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Oregon: Seems strange (or does it?) that these two programs have never played each other.
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma: The Irish beat the Sooners 7-0 in 1957 to end OU’s 47-game winning streak.
