After weathering tough games against underrated opponents, the top four teams in the College Football Qualifiers standings remained in place Tuesday night, while LSU took the lead. USC one place in 5th place.
Georgia led the CFP selection committee rankings for the third consecutive week, followed by Ohio State in 2nd, Michigan in 3rd and TCU in 4th. Buckeyes and Wolverines, who play next Saturday in Columbus, both leading the way in the second half of last week before keeping their unbeaten record. Michigan and TCU both needed a last-minute lead to hold Illinois and Baylor, respectively.
USC’s dramatic win over rival UCLA wasn’t enough to overtake LSU, who defeated UAB 41-10 at Tiger Stadium. Lincoln Riley’s team came in at #5 in both Sunday’s AP and Coach polls, USC’s first AP top 5 rankings since September 2017. The Trojans’ only loss was a point on the road against Utah, which dropped to 5th. 14th place after a loss at Oregon.
“It’s been a standout conversation over the past few days, to make sure we’re looking at it the right way,” said CFP committee chairman Boo Corrigan, athletic director at NC State. in 5th place. “There is a reason USC is in 5th place, there is a reason for LSU in 5th place.”
Tennessee, which took 5th place last week, fell to 10th after a 63-38 road loss to South Carolina.
LSU ended the regular season at Texas A&M before taking on Georgia in the SEC championship game. USC this week hosts Notre Dame, rising three places to 15th in the selection committee rankings. The Trojans’ Pac-12 champion opponent will be determined next weekend, though Oregon, which rose three places to ninth after a win in Utah, could secure a spot in Las Vegas by beating The team ranked 21st in the State of Oregon on the road.
A loss in Oregon this week would open the door for 13th place Washington and Utah to reach the Pac-12 championship.
Alabama and Clemson both rose one place in the rankings to seventh and eighth. Clemson won’t host a highly ranked team in South Carolina on Saturday, but won against Florida State, which has risen. three places to 16th and Louisville , which entered the rankings at 25th. Clemson prepares for the ACC championship game against North Carolina, who only dropped four places to 17th after losing to Georgia. Tech 4-6 at home last Saturday.
“You’re looking for football judgement, and the game against Notre Dame… that continues to be part of the discussion,” Corrigan said of the Tigers’ 35-14 loss to the Irish. “Overall, we watched in Alabama at seven and Clemson at eight.”
TCU, hosting Iowa State on Saturday, will face No. 12 Kansas State or No. 23 Texas in next week’s Big 12 championship game. Kansas State, which jumped three places in Tuesday’s rankings, could take a spot by beating Kansas. If Kansas State falls, Texas will go if Baylor is defeated.
“We go through the same thing every week,” says Corrigan. “TCU has done a great job in finding ways to win games.”
Tulane is once again the highest-ranked team in Group 5 in 19th place, following a home win over SMU and a UCF home loss to Navy. Friday’s blue wave hits 24 Cincinnati, and the winner will host next week’s US Athletics Conference title match. Winner Tulane-Cincinnati could rematch for the championship, but 22 UCF and Houston could also enter the game.
