Tennessee, with its only blemish coming at Georgia two weeks ago, remains the top team at No. 5. The Volunteers will have a chance to make the playoffs given the strength of their wins to this point and with the best defeat in the country. Reminder: All but one team was ranked No. 1 in the initial CFP single-season rankings and eventually made the playoffs (Mississippi State, 2014). However, a CFP debut for the Vols is not assured, as they will not have the opportunity to earn extra credit in the eyes of the CFP Selection Committee by winning a conference championship game. That possibility still exists for No. 6 LSU, which is seeking to become the first two-loss team to earn a CFP bid in event history. No. 7 USC is aiming to become the first Pac-12 team to make the playoffs since 2016-17, while No. 9 Clemson looks to get through the rest of the season unscathed. That will require taking on fellow ACC one-loss No. 13 North Carolina, which has the same shot at making the CFP. Perhaps most notable was a change in the ranking order for the top Group of Five programs aiming for a spot in the New Year’s Six. With a 38-31 home win over the weekend, UCF (now No. 20) leapfrogged Tulane (now No. 21) to take the pole position for that opportunity. The biggest riser in the rankings was Washington, which jumped eight spots to No. 17 after knocking off Oregon, which fell six spots to No. 12. Let’s take a look at the entire top 25 of the CFP Rankings. Analysis by bowls expert Jerry Palm below.
College Football Playoff Rankings, November 15
Analysis by bowls expert Jerry Palm
The only change in the top 10 this week was former Oregon dropping, allowing LSU, USC, Alabama and Clemson to move up a spot. Utah also moves into the top 10 heading into a showdown with the Ducks for a leg up in the Pac-12 Championship game. There are only five teams left to control their destiny in the hunt for a place in the four-team field, but they are not the top five teams in the standings. The top four control their own destiny, but Tennessee does not. That’s because if LSU beats Georgia, the Tigers would move into the top four and the Vols would be out of luck. It’s also possible that Tennessee could get past a 12-1 champion from another conference, likely USC if the Trojans can pull it off. The rest of their schedule will feature three ranked teams: at UCLA, against Notre Dame and the Pac-12 title game. The winner of Clemson-North Carolina in the ACC would also be in play, but is less likely to reach the top four. Cincinnati makes its first appearance of the season in the rankings, checking in at No. 25. The Bearcats are the AAC’s third-ranked team. It is extremely possible at this point that the Group of Five representative in the Cotton Bowl will come from Cincy, UCF and Tulane. The Bearcats host the Green Wave to end the regular season with the winner likely traveling to Orlando to face the Knights for the AAC championship.
