December 1st 2024.
The college football world was in a frenzy on Sunday as the Associated Press released its latest Top 25 poll. The rankings saw some major shakeups after a wild weekend of games, with top teams like Ohio State, Miami, and Clemson all suffering losses. As a result, eight of the top 10 teams moved up in the rankings, while Oregon maintained its spot at No. 1 for the seventh consecutive week.
The changes in the rankings have set the stage for two highly-anticipated top-five matchups in the upcoming conference championship games, which will take place on Saturday. The day before the College Football Playoff bracket is announced, the nation's only undefeated team, Oregon, will face off against No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis. In the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta, No. 2 Texas will take on No. 5 Georgia in a rematch of their top-five meeting in October, which was won by the Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, No. 4 Notre Dame, who has won 10 straight games, will have to wait until the College Football Playoff to compete again. The Irish will look to make a statement and secure their highest ranking since 2020.
One of the biggest drops in the rankings was seen by Ohio State, who lost for the fourth consecutive time to Michigan and were knocked out of the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes fell five spots to No. 7, just behind No. 6 Tennessee.
The new rankings also featured some newcomers to the top 10, with SMU at No. 8, followed by Indiana and Boise State. This is the first time since 2011 that Boise State has been in the top 10, and they hold the highest ranking among Group of Five teams, two spots ahead of No. 12 Arizona State, who is the top-ranked Big 12 team.
With the potential for major upsets and surprises, all eyes will be on the upcoming conference championship games, as teams fight for a spot in the College Football Playoff. For Boise State, if they win the Mountain West title and are one of the top four-seeded conference champions in the final CFP rankings, they will receive a bye to the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, not all teams were able to maintain their rankings. Miami's loss to Syracuse not only cost them a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, but also possibly their spot in the College Football Playoff. The Hurricanes dropped six spots to No. 14, while Clemson, who will face SMU in the ACC game, fell six places to No. 18 after their loss to South Carolina.
Speaking of South Carolina, the Gamecocks have been on a roll, winning six straight games, four of which were against ranked opponents. This impressive streak has earned them a three-rung promotion to No. 13 in the rankings, surpassing in-state rival Clemson for the first time in 10 years.
In terms of conference representation, the SEC leads with seven teams in the top 25, followed by the Big Ten with five, and the ACC and Big 12 with four each. The American Athletic Conference and Mountain West each have two teams in the rankings, while one independent team, Notre Dame, made the cut.
As the season nears its end, the College Football Playoff picture is becoming clearer, with several highly-anticipated matchups set to determine the final four teams. The upcoming weekend is sure to be filled with excitement and anticipation, as teams fight for their spot in the playoff. Stay tuned for all the latest updates and analysis from Denver's teams by signing up for the Sports Omelette.
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