Georgia topped the top 25 rankings for the college football playoffs released Tuesday night after the team defeated the previous No. 1 player 27-13. 1 Tennessee last weekend.
Meanwhile, TCU jumped 3 places to the top spot. Fourth place goes into Saturday’s big showdown. 18 Texas.
“They’ve beaten teams of .500 or better six times,” NC State athletic director and CFP president Bucorrigan said of the Horned Frogs on ESPN telecast. “If you know, we value profits.”
Ohio State University is no. 2 and competitor Michigan landed in 2nd. 3.
Sees Georgia (9-0) move up to No. 1. The defending national champion played a very important role in the win over Walls, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker passed for 195 yards, 0 touchdowns, and Cut 1 time.
Vols dropped four places to No. 1. 5, and as the No. 1-ranked one-loss team, their CFP hopes remain strong.
“Tennessee is a really good team with a huge win, and we’re still very early in the process,” Corrigan said.
Tennessee is one place ahead of Oregon, the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12. Pac-12 contenders Oregon, USC and UCLA all lost one game, but the committee’s Ducks ranked highest. The University of Southern California is ranked first. 8, while UCLA ranked No. 8. 12.
“They’ve won eight games in a row,” Corrigan said of Oregon. “Again, we’re looking at the overall work. … And they’re pretty impressive.”
If Tennessee wins, the Vols could be a non-conference champ in the CFP, depending on how everything around them shakes. The SEC has made multiple teams to the CFP twice — including last season.
As for TCU, a top-four finish is a validation of its undefeated season. Last week, the committee placed the undefeated Horned Frogs at No. 1. 7. One loss to Alabama, largely because they need multiple comebacks in the fourth quarter to stay undefeated. The Horned Frogs benefited from losses at Tennessee, Alabama and Clemson in these rankings, even though TCU fell behind Texas Tech heading into the fourth quarter last weekend and needed another comeback to win. .
“It’s early in the process and I have full confidence in the committee,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said on ESPN telecast. “At the end of the day, we had a good schedule and we had a very tough schedule in front of us…but I appreciate the fact that they valued winning.”
The TCU will meet with Texas on Saturday night.
“Our people are totally into it, they believe in what they’re doing,” Dykes said. “It’s interesting to see people investing in each other and valuing each other. … I love the team, they’re a great helper to the coach.”
Alabama, which lost to LSU in overtime, remains in the top 10 at No. 10 despite the loss. 9. LSU moves up three places to No. 7 as the highest-ranked two-lose team — if it wins as the SEC champion, it could be the first two-lose team to make it to the CFP.
Clemson fell from No. 1 in a 35-14 elimination against Notre Dame. No. 4 to No. 10. The Tigers need a win, plus the help and chaos around them, to keep any shot at another playoff berth.