Ohio State, Alabama top winners, top losers

The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings show how the race for the 12-team field has taken shape with only conference championship games remaining in the regular season.

With at least eight, perhaps even nine teams already decided, there should be little controversy over the final rankings if the favorites take care of business on Friday and Saturday.

But chaos lurks around the next corner. Based on Tuesday night’s rankings, the only game that could throw the whole debate into chaos is the ACC Championship game between No. 8 SMU and No. 17 Clemson. After getting back into the match with the help of No. 12 Miami and No. 22 Syracuse, the Tigers were able to earn a fourth bid from the SEC by knocking out the Mustangs.

Another matchup with serious playoff implications comes in the Mountain West, where No. 10 Boise State and No. 20 UNLV meet for the second time this season.

And the biggest takeaway from Tuesday night involves Ohio State, which was ranked No. 6 after a loss to rival Michigan.

The Buckeyes and Alabama lead the winners and losers in the latest playoff rankings:

winner

Ohio State

Losing just four spots from last week is a big win for the Buckeyes, who, despite Saturday’s loss and resulting fourth-place finish in the Big Ten, now face an opening-round playoff game. The committee looked beyond the miserable end to the regular season and focused on Ohio State’s two big wins against No. 3 Penn State and No. 9 Indiana. Another advantage compared to No. 7 Tennessee are both teams’ losses: No. 1 Oregon and Michigan for the Buckeye against Arkansas and No. 5 Georgia for the Volunteers. That’s a comparison that favors Ohio State.

Alabama

The No. 11 Crimson Tide managed to stay well ahead of No. 14 South Carolina despite the Gamecocks’ rivalry win over Clemson. Based on the precedent set Tuesday night, Alabama remains next in line to secure a playoff bid if a spot opens up after the conference championships are played this weekend. The only outcome that would kill Alabama’s chances would be Clemson winning the ACC, as SMU appears capable of earning an at-large bid with a loss. Two ACC teams in the bracket would make only three SEC teams, making the Tide the first team to be eliminated.

DISH PROJECTIONS:Alabama enters the playoff field while Texas and SMU advance

UNLV

UNLV’s rise to No. 20 virtually guarantees that the winner of the Mountain West will finish as the top-ranked team in the Group of Five. The Rebels were helped by Tulane’s loss to No. 25 Memphis, which knocked the Green Wave out of playoff contention and deprived No. 24 Army of a chance for a much-needed marquee win. While UNLV would qualify for the playoffs by defeating Boise State, as the fourth-seeded conference champion it would not receive a bye in the opening round; The final spot would most likely be taken by the winner of the Big 12.

loser

army

You have to wonder what could have been: If Army had pulled off a massive upset of No. 4 Notre Dame two weeks ago and Tulane won Memphis, you could have imagined a scenario in which the Black Knights would have joined the Mountain West won as the second team in the group of five in the field. Now four spots south of UNLV, Army has a growing chance of securing a playoff spot. But there’s still a lot to play for, starting with a chance at the first conference title in program history before facing rival Navy to close out the regular season.

South Carolina

The hottest team in the SEC and one of the hottest teams in the entire FBS will ultimately be eliminated from the playoffs by two crucial losses: to Alabama and No. 13 Mississippi. It’s hard to complain about the Gamecocks’ ranking when all three teams have the same record and the Tide and Rebels own the direct tiebreaker. But South Carolina has found success, rattling off six straight games with three wins against teams in this week’s rankings, and it would have been a very tough matchup for any opponent in the opening round.

Ohio State, Alabama top winners, top losers

ByAmelia Journalton

By Amelia Journalton

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