After a 66-24 win over unranked Missouri, the Vols remained the committee’s highest-ranked team with one loss, keeping them in playoff contention without winning their division. Georgia won the SEC East and will face No. 6 LSU, the highest-ranked two-loss team, in the SEC championship game. If LSU wins its conference, it could make history as the first two-loss team to reach the CFP. Tennessee could become the fifth team to win the CFP without winning a conference title and the third not to win its division, joining Ohio State in 2016 and Alabama in 2017. The SEC has had several teams participate in the CFP twice — including last season when Georgia beat Alabama to win the national title.

  1. Georgia (10-0)14. All Miss (8-2)2. Ohio State (10-0)15. Kansas St. (7-3)3. Michigan (10-0)16. UCLA (8-2)4. TCU (10-0)17. Washington (8-2)5. Tennessee (9-1) 18. Notre Dame (7-3)6. LSU (8-2)19. Florida St. (7-3)7. USC (9-1)20. UCF (8-2)8. Alabama (8-2)21. Tulane (8-2)9. Clemson (9-1)22. OK St. (7-3)10. Utah (8-2)23. Oregon St. (7-3)11. Penn State (8-2)24. NC St. (7-3)12. Oregon (8-2)25. Cincinnati (8-2)13. North Carolina (9-1) Without a conference championship, the Vols will face more scrutiny from the selection committee and will rely on impressive wins against Alabama and LSU to earn a showdown against a Power 5 conference champion. USC (9-1) is now the Pac-12’s highest-ranked team at No. 7 after Oregon’s loss Saturday at Washington, dropping the two-loss Ducks to No. 12. The Pac-12 has six teams ranked in the top of the CFP 25 with the addition of No. 23 Oregon State, including two in the top 10 (USC and No. 10 Utah). USC can clinch a spot in the conference title game Saturday with a win at UCLA, and Oregon will face Utah in another game that will help determine the Pac-12 championship participants. TCU clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game with its 17-10 win at Texas, but the four-loss Longhorns fell from No. 18 out of the CFP top 25 this week. It helped the Horned Frogs that No. 22 Oklahoma State moved back into the rankings this week, giving TCU its second win against a ranked opponent, along with No. 15 Kansas State. There are three more rankings, including the release of the final top 25 on Selection Day on December 4th. No team has been ranked outside of the committee’s top 10 at this point in the season and is still in the CFP. The lowest was Michigan in 2015 and Oklahoma in 2019, when both ranked ninth. Two-loss Alabama is at No. 8 this week, ahead of one-loss No. 9, who will play No. 13 North Carolina in the ACC Championship. After its 38-31 win at Tulane, No. 20 UCF is the Group of 5 leader to earn a New Year’s Six bowl bid as the highest-ranked conference champion, followed by No. 21 Tulane.