College Football Playoff Rankings Released

 
Thanksgiving week is usually one of rivalry games and regular-season conference championship clinchers in college football. And while we do still have the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn this weekend, most conferences won’t be decided for another two weeks, and rivalry games have been spread around the schedule.

With COVID-19 impacting everyone’s schedule, the one thing we have this week is the initial College Football Playoff rankings, a month later than usual. Alabama, which is No. 1 in the AP poll, is also No. 1 in the CFP rankings at 7-0. 

The Crimson Tide have scored at least 38 points in all seven games this season and have gone over 50 three times.

ACC Puts Two in Top Four

Notre Dame (8-0) is ranked No. 2, and the team ranked second in the initial poll has won each of the last two national championships. The Fighting Irish are one slot ahead of Clemson (7-1), a team they beat in double overtime earlier this month. 

The two ACC teams are likely to meet again Dec. 19 in the conference title game.

Big Ten leader Ohio State (4-0) is ranked No. 4 after surviving with a 42-35 win over Indiana last Saturday. The Buckeyes have the inside track to the Big Ten Championship Game after that win.

SEC Dominates the Top 10

Two SEC teams with one loss sit in the Nos. 5 and 6 spots. Texas A&M (5-1) is fifth, and its only loss is to Alabama. Florida (6-1) follows the Aggies, the team that handed the Gators their only loss on the season. 

The Gators control their own destiny, however, as they are on track to win the SEC East and face Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

The rest of the top 10 includes two surprise undefeated teams in No. 7 Cincinnati (8-0) and No. 8 Northwestern (5-0). The Wildcats are on a collision course with the Buckeyes in the Big Ten, while Cincinnati will have to stay unbeaten to have any hope of finishing in the top four. 

Georgia (5-2) is No. 9, and Miami (7-1) is No. 10. Overall, the SEC has five teams ranked, including four in the top nine, and Auburn is No. 22 ahead of its game at Alabama on Saturday.

Big 12, Pac-12 Behind the Pack

The first Big 12 team checks in at No. 11 with 6-2 Oklahoma. The Sooners are two slots ahead of 6-2 Iowa State, which is in first place in the conference and holds the tiebreaker over the Sooners.

BYU (9-0) will be disappointed to be ranked 14th, but its lack of a conference and low schedule strength did it in. Oregon (3-0) is the highest-ranked Pac-12 team at No. 15, but the Ducks can continue up the rankings by winning out. They are three spots ahead of USC (3-0), which is in the other Pac-12 division.

Other unbeaten Group of 5 teams check in at No. 20 with Coastal Carolina (8-0) and No. 21 with Marshall (7-0).

New Odds for Championship

With the new rankings came new championship odds as well. Alabama is now the favorite at +175, while Clemson got bumped up to even with Ohio State at +250. 

Florida checks in next at +1000, just ahead of Notre Dame at +1600. The oddsmakers think those are the only five teams with a legitimate chance to win the title. 

Cincinnati and Texas A&M are +5000, while Northwestern, Miami, Oklahoma and BYU are +8000.