The third College Football Playoff ranking release of the season had some certainty and some mystery when it was unveiled Tuesday, Nov. 18,
There were no surprises among the top three teams. Ohio State retains the No. 1 spot it has held since the initial rankings. Right behind the Buckeyes is No. 2 Indiana with the unbeaten conference rivals on a collision to play in the Big Ten title game.
Texas A&M, the other team in the Bowl Subdivision without a loss, held down its place at No. 3. But that wasn’t assured until the Aggies pulled off a historic comeback to beat South Carolina in Week 12.
The changes came after the leading trio. Georgia – fresh off an impressive defeat of Texas – improved one spot followed by a likewise gain by Big 12 leader Texas Tech.
The back half of the top 10 saw an overhaul with Alabama falling from No. 4 after Oklahoma took down the Crimson Tide last weekend. The Sooners gained three positions to slot in at No. 8 slot behind Oregon and Mississippi. Wins against Missouri and LSU should secure a first-round home game.
Alabama dropped to 10th and Notre Dame held on to the ninth spot. The Fighting Irish have games ahead against Syracuse and Stanford. The Crimson Tide occupy the last at-large spot and face Auburn in two weeks.
Sitting just on the outside of the field are No. 11 Brigham Young followed by Utah and Miami, the top ACC team.
There was also twist in the competition between the teams in Group of Five conferences. South Florida – the only team from those leagues ranked last week – fell from No. 24 after a loss to Navy. Moving into the rankings from the G5 is Tulane at No. 24. The highest-ranked champion from those conferences is guaranteed a spot in the field.
The ranking is the third of six releases by the committee. The next two be Tuesday after Week 13 and Week 14. The final release that will set the College Football Playoff field is on Sunday, Dec. 7.
CFP rankings Top 25
Ohio State (10-0)
Indiana (11-0)
Texas A&M (10-0)
Georgia (9-1)
Texas Tech (10-1)
Mississippi (10-1)
Oregon (9-1)
Oklahoma (8-2)
Notre Dame (8-2)
Alabama (8-2)
Brigham Young (9-1)
Utah (8-2)
Miami (8-2)
Vanderbilt (8-2)
Southern California (8-2)
Georgia Tech (9-1)
Texas (7-3)
Michigan (8-2)
Virginia (9-2)
Tennessee (7-3)
Illinois (7-3)
Missouri (7-3)
Houston (8-2)
Tulane (8-2)
Arizona State (7-3)
How the College Football Playoff would look based on rankings
First round
No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Texas Tech
No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Mississippi
No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Oregon
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma
Quarterfinals
No. 4 Georgia vs. Tulane-Texas Tech winner
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. Miami-Mississippi winner
No. 2 Indiana vs. Alabama-Oregon winner
No. 1 Ohio State vs. Notre Dame-Oklahoma winner
What is the College Football Playoff schedule?
The schedule for first-round games taking place on campus sites will see No. 5 hosting No. 12, No. 6 facing No. 11, No. 7 meeting No. 10 and No. 8 squaring off with No. 9.
Winners of those games will advance to the quarterfinals with the Cotton Bowl hosting its matchup on Dec. 31. The other three games of the round will be played Jan. 1 with the Orange Bowl starting the day followed by the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl will host the semifinals on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9, respectively.
The championship game will be played on Jan. 19 in Miami Gardens, Florida, at Hard Rock Stadium.