Florida State joins Georgia, Michigan, Washington in CFP top 4

Florida State moved back into the top four and Ohio State fell four spots to No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.

Georgia remained No. 1, while Michigan moved up one spot to No. 2 and Washington is now No. 3. The Wolverines beat the rival Buckeyes 30-24 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the Big Ten championship game and win a big prize. blow to Ohio State’s playoff hopes.

“Looking at it, it was a really good weekend, a rivalry weekend, you get a little bit of everything,” CFP committee chairman Boo Corrigan said on the show. publication of ESPN rankings. “What a great season it’s been so far.”

The Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 in the inaugural CFP rankings on October 31. Ohio State also lost to Michigan last year, but reached the playoffs after USC lost in the Pac-12 championship game. There is one key difference from last year: Ohio State fell to No. 5 after the loss to Michigan. This year, the Buckeyes will need more help to finish in the top four.

That would include a Florida State loss to Louisville in the ACC championship game Saturday night in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Seminoles played their first game without starting quarterback Jordan Travis on Saturday against rival Florida, and while new starter Tate Rodemaker looked shaky at times, Florida State found a way to win 24-15.

“A different team without Jordan Travis,” Corrigan said of the Seminoles. “It’s more than one player, but obviously it’s a different team without Jordan Travis.”

The big question in Tuesday night’s rankings was how the committee would view the Seminoles with Rodemaker behind center. After falling to No. 5 last week — based on what the committee said was Washington’s strength of schedule — Florida State managed to move back into the top four with the defeat of Florida State. Ohio and remain on top of the four one-loss teams. stacked behind. This appears to be good news for his playoff hopes if he remains undefeated.

Every conference championship game this weekend is bound to have postseason implications — starting with the SEC Championship between Georgia and No. 8 Alabama in Atlanta.

The Pac-12 championship game between Washington and No. 5 Oregon on Friday night will also likely produce a playoff team. The Huskies beat the Ducks earlier this year at home 36-33 in a game that went down to the final play. Oregon had far more decisive victories than Washington down the stretch. If the Ducks win, as the highest-ranked one-loss team, they would definitely be in the game.

“Oregon continued to dominate,” Corrigan said. “With the season [Ducks quarterback] Bo Nix did it, they continued to impress on both offense and defense.

Michigan faces No. 16 Iowa in the Big Ten championship game. A win and the Wolverines would have their third straight CFP appearance.

As for the Big 12 championship game between No. 7 Texas and No. 18 Oklahoma State, the Longhorns need to win and hope for some help above them, too.

Tulane remains the highest-ranked school in Group 5 at 22nd. The Green Wave will face SMU in the AAC championship game on Saturday. A win would all but guarantee a place in a New Year’s Six match for the second season in a row.

The final CFP rankings will be announced Sunday (noon ET, ESPN).