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When the College Football Playoff selection committee released the first set of rankings a week ago, the group not only sparked some controversy, but also teed up a massive Week 10 slate of games.
Now that those games are behind us, the rankings look much, much different. Particularly at the top.
After debuting at No. 2, Georgia moved up one spot to No. 1, taking the place of Miami. The Bulldogs throttled Ole Miss (who were at No. 10 in the initial rankings) while Miami lost to Notre Dame. Utah moved up as well, as the Utes defeated BYU in a huge Big 12 tilt to maintain an unblemished record and get to No. 2.
Miami fell to No. 7 after the loss to Notre Dame.
As for the Fighting Irish, the committee gave Notre Dame a clear assignment last week: Beat Miami. With Notre Dame sitting at No. 11 a week ago, another loss likely doomed the Fighting Irish and their playoff hopes. But Notre Dame’s victory at home against the Hurricanes was enough for the committee to move them up to No. 5, and with Notre Dame set to finish the season against three unranked teams, the path is clear for a playoff berth.
Alabama at No. 3 and UCLA at No. 4 closed out the Top five.
Ole Miss fell nine spots after losing. to Georgia. Ohio State fell eight spots after losing to USC.
Oklahoma State debuted at No. 25.
Here are the full rankings, and a look at the hypothetical College Football Playoff bracket.
Here is the second set of rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee, just released:
1. Georgia (8-1)
2. Utah (9-0)
3. Alabama (7-2)
4. UCLA (9-0)
5. Notre Dame (8-1)
6. Texas (7-2)
7. Miami (8-1)
8. Tennessee (7-2)
9. Indiana (8-1)
10. BYU (7-2)
11. Kentucky (7-2)
12. Texas Tech (8-1)
13. Wake Forest (8-1)
14. Houston (7-2)
15. Iowa (7-2)
16. Oregon (6-3)
17. South Carolina (6-3)
18. USC (7-2)
19. Ole Miss (6-3)
20. Ohio State (6-3)
21. LSU (6-3)
22. Missouri (6-3)
23. Arizona (7-2)
24. Boise State (8-1)
25. Oklahoma State (6-3)
Here is the hypothetical bracket for the College Football Playoff, if it began today:
First Round
No. 24 Boise State at No. 5 Notre Dame
No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Texas
No. 10 BYU at No. 7 Miami
No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Tennessee
Quarterfinals
Kentucky/Texas winner vs. No. 3 Alabama (Game 1)
BYU/Miami winner vs. No. 2 Utah (Game 2)
Boise State/Notre Dame winner vs. No. 4 UCLA (Game 3)
Indiana/Tennessee winner vs. No. 1 Georgia (Game 4)
Semifinals
Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner