TCU Moves To No. 3
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The last unbeaten team in the nation is the last team in the all-important top four of the College Football Playoff rankings, which were announced Tuesday evening.
Florida State (12-0) slipped from No. 3 to No. 4 this week after a come-from-behind 24-19 win over Florida on Saturday.
TCU (10-1), coming off a 48-10 victory at Texas on Thanksgiving, jumped from No. 5 to No. 3.
The top two remained unchanged from the previous week: No. 1 Alabama (11-1), coming off a 55-44 win over Auburn, and No. 2 Oregon (11-1), which routed Oregon State 47-19.
The top four teams, as selected by a 12-person panel, will earn berths in the inaugural college football semifinals to be played in the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The winners advance to the national championship game, Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas.
The semifinal pairings will be announced Sunday, after most conferences hold their championship games Saturday.
Ohio State (11-1), which lost quarterback J.T. Barrett to a broken ankle Saturday during a 42-28 win over Michigan, moved up from No. 6 to No. 5.
Baylor (11-1) rose one place to No. 6. The Bears own the same record as TCU, and they beat the Horned Frogs 61-58 earlier this season, but the committee remained consistent in giving the edge to TCU.
Rounding out the top 10 are No. 7 Arizona (10-2), No. 8 Michigan State (10-2), No. 9 Kansas State (9-2) and No. 10 Mississippi State (10-2). Mississippi State made the week’s biggest drop, falling from No. 4 after a 31-17 loss at Ole Miss.
This weekend, Alabama plays No. 16 Missouri (10-2) for the Southeastern Conference championship; Oregon plays Arizona for the Pac-12 crown; Florida State plays No. 11 Georgia Tech (10-2) for the Atlantic Coast Conference title; and Ohio State plays No. 13 Wisconsin (10-2) for the Big Ten crown.
The Big 12, which does not play a championship game, concludes its regular season Saturday. TCU plays host to Iowa State (2-9), and Kansas State plays at Baylor.
