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Ohio State will drop at least four and as many as six spots in Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff rankings following Saturday’s shocking loss at home to rival Michigan.
The argument for falling only to No. 6 rests on wins against Penn State and Indiana, two teams that should be in the top 10. Few teams can match the quality of these two victories: Oregon beat Boise State and the Buckeyes while Georgia has wins against Clemson, Texas and Tennessee.
At a minimum, Ohio State is a playoff lock with a very good chance of hosting an opponent in the opening round.
One thing to watch on Tuesday night is whether the Buckeyes come in at No. 8, behind Tennessee and SMU. If so, Ohio State could be sent on the road to open the playoff should SMU win the ACC and Boise State lose the Mountain West championship game. That would result in the Pac-12 champion be placed in the top four, bumping the Buckeyes to the No. 9 seed in the bracket.
Here’s how the top 10 of the penultimate playoff rankings should look:
1. Oregon (12-0)
After beating Washington to move to 12-0 for the second time in program history, Oregon is guaranteed to finish no lower than No. 5 in the final rankings. Losing to Penn State in the Big Ten title game would push the Nittany Lions to No. 2 or even No. 1 while the Ducks would be the top-ranked at-large team. Oregon would then meet the Pac-12 champion or Clemson in the opening round and potentially have a rematch with Boise State in the quarterfinals.
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2. Texas (11-1)
Texas overcame a sloppy second half against Texas A&M to score a 17-7 win in the rekindled rivalry. That made the Longhorns a playoff lock regardless of what happens against Georgia in the SEC championship. Beating…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-playoff-ranking-prediction-110937888.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-12-03 11:09:00
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