CFP rankings: Oregon stays on top, Alabama replaces Miami in projected bracket

Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Three teams kept their Top-4 spots in the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, the selection committee announced. Alabama replaced Miami in the projected playoff bracket.

Selection day for the first expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff will be Sunday on ESPN. First-round playoff games will commence Dec. 20 and 21.

"I understand Alabama, the committee ranked Alabama one ahead of Miami, but it doesn't diminish how we see Miami, even with the last three weeks [when] they had two losses," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, chairman of the selection committee, said Tuesday during a teleconference.

"We still think Miami is a very strong team. It came down to a difference in their body of work as we evaluated Alabama and Miami, not just wins, not just losses, but the totality of the season and how those teams performed."

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks (12-0) obliterated the Washington Huskies (6-6) 49-21 to hold their top spot for the fifth-consecutive week. The Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2), who held the No. 2 spot for the last four weeks, tumbled to No. 6 after their upset loss to the rival Michigan Wolverines (7-5).

The Texas Longhorns (11-1) beat the Texas A&M Aggies (8-4) to climb to No. 2 from No. 3. That loss pushed the Aggies, ranked No. 20 last week, out of the rankings.

The Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1) used a 44-7 win over the Maryland Terrapins (4-8) to move to No. 3 from No. 4..

The No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1) also climbed into the Top 4, thanks to the Buckeyes' loss and a 49-35 win over the USC Trojans (6-6). The Georgia Bulldogs (10-2), who needed overtime to beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-5), climbed to No. 5 from No. 7.

The Miami Hurricanes (10-2), who were upset by the Syracuse Orange (9-3), fell to No. 12 from No. 6. That win helped the Orange, who are now No. 22, climb into the rankings for the first time since 2022.

The No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (10-2), No. 8 SMU Mustangs (11-1), No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers (11-1) and No. 10 Boise State Broncos (11-1) each moved up one spot to round out the Top 10.

The Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3), who beat the rival Auburn Tigers (5-7) in the Iron Bowl, moved to No. 11 from No. 13, one spot ahead of the Hurricanes. The No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels (9-3) used a 26-14 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-10) to move to No. 13 from a notch lower.

The No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3), who beat the Clemson Tigers (9-3) 17-14, also moved up one spot. The loss dropped the Tigers from No. 12 to No. 17. The Arizona State Sun Devils (10-2) used a 49-7 thrashing of the Arizona Wildcats (4-8) to move to No. 15 from No. 16.

The Tulane Green Wave (9-3), who were ranked No. 17, but lost to the Memphis Tigers (10-2), dropped out of the Top 25. The Tigers, now ranked No. 25, entered the rankings for the first time since 2019.

The Iowa State Cyclones (10-1) climbed to No. 16 from No. 18, thanks to a 29-21 win over the Kansas State Wildcats (8-4). That loss dropped the Wildcats, who were No. 24, out of the Top 25.

The BYU Cougars (10-2) moved to No. 18 from N. 19. The Missouri Tigers (9-3) used a win over the Arkansas Razorbacks (6-6) to climb to No. 19 from No. 21. The No. 20 UNLV Rebels (10-2), No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3) and No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes (9-3) also each jumped two spots in the rankings.

The top-ranked Oregon Ducks will play the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten title game at 8 p.m. EST Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. That will be one of five conference championships this weekend between College Football Playoff-ranked teams.

The No. 2 Texas Longhorns will face the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs for the SEC crown at 4 p.m. Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The No. 15 Arizona Sun Devils and No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones will tussle for Big 12 bragging rights at noon Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas.

The No. 8 SMU Mustangs will face the No. 17 Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The No. 10 Boise State Broncos will meet the No. 20 UNLV Rebels to contest the Mountain West title at 8 p.m. Friday in Boise.

The No. 24 Army Black Knights will face the Tulane Green Wave in the AAC title game at 8 p.m. Friday in West Point, N.Y.

This year, the five conference champions ranked highest by the College Football Playoff selection committee automatically qualify for the playoff. The four highest-ranked teams of that group will get first-round byes.

Notre Dame, which is ranked No. 4 but is not in a conference, is ineligible for a first-round bye.

Oregon, Texas, SMU and Boise State are projected as the four teams that would receive byes. The Miami Hurricanes, who were part of that group last week, are now projected to miss the playoff.

Penn State replaced Ohio State as the projected No. 5 seed. The Buckeyes are now a projected No. 8 seed, with a potential first-round matchup with No. 9 Tennessee.

The other projected first-round matchups are: No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 12 Arizona State; No 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Alabama; and No. 7 George vs. No. 10 Indiana.

The quarterfinals for the College Football Playoff will be Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The College Football Playoff semifinals will be held Jan. 9 and 10 at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl, respectively.

The College Football Playoff National Championship will be played Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

College Football Playoff rankings for Week 15

1. Oregon (12-0)

2. Texas (11-1)

3. Penn State (11-1)

4. Notre Dame (11-1)

5. Georgia (10-2)

6. Ohio State (10-2)

7. Tennessee (10-2)

8. SMU (11-1)

9. Indiana (11-1)

10. Boise State (11-1)

11. Alabama (9-3)

12. Miami (10-2)

13. Ole Miss (9-3)

14. South Carolina (9-3)

15. Arizona State (10-2)

16. Iowa State (10-2)

17. Clemson (9-3)

18. BYU (10-2)

19. Missouri (9-3)

20. UNLV (10-2)

21. Illinois (9-3)

22. Syracuse (9-3)

23. Colorado (9-3)

24. Army (10-1)

25. Memphis (10-2)