Southeastern Conference losses are a boon for just about every other team in the College Football Playoff rankings, with SMU inching into the top 12 and Indiana staying at No. 10 despite lopsided losses. did.
Undefeated Oregon State ranks first in the 12-team bracket announced Tuesday for the fourth straight week.
This does not include the SEC's Alabama and Mississippi, which suffered their third loss of the season last week.
With this move, SMU moves up four spots to ninth place and joins sixth-place Miami as two teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference's 12-team field.
The two teams could meet in the ACC title game within two weeks. No. 12 Clemson is also a candidate.
“We didn't have a strong enough resume so far, so we needed help,” SMU coach Rhett Lashley said hours before the rankings were announced.
All eyes were on what kind of harsh penalty the Hoosiers would receive after their first loss of the season, a 38-15 loss to Indiana and No. 2 Ohio State.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti scoffed at the idea that the Hoosiers were not a playoff team.
The selection committee agreed, moving the Hoosiers just five spots lower.
“We were impressed with some of the things Indiana did,” said Warde Manuel, Michigan athletic director and selection committee chairman. “Even though they dropped five places, we still felt their body of work was strong enough to stay in the top 10.”
The committee wasn't as generous to the Big 12. Since the top two teams, BYU and Colorado, lost last week, Arizona State, which defeated BYU, was placed in the same spot.
The Sun Devils finished in 16th place.
This earned them the 12th and final spot in the bracket as the projected No. 5 conference champion, but gave the Big 12 the distinct feel of a one-bid league.
Another bid would belong to Boise State in the Mountain West.
The Broncos were ranked 11th, but earned the No. 4 seed in the bracket as the No. 4 projected conference champion.
SEC leader Texas ranked third.
The University of Alabama dropped six spots to 13th place, and Ole Miss dropped five spots to 14th place.
Both are out of the question, but it's not completely out of the question as the committee will spend the next two weeks deciding whether the three-loss team will qualify for the playoffs.
“There's a desire to rank the teams we look at,” Manuel said, noting that in the CFP's 10-year history, the committee has placed 22 three-loss teams in the top 12. said.
Of course, before this year, only the top four seeds mattered.
Other rankings: No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 7 Georgia, No. 8 Tennessee.
Two more rankings are expected to be announced. The final rankings will be released next week and on December 8th, which will determine the playoff brackets starting on December 20th. The national title game is scheduled for Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
Featured games
Michigan vs. No. 2 Ohio State: The Buckeyes' victory sets up a rematch with Oregon State in the Big Ten title game (possibly a third matchup in the playoffs).
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 20 Texas A&M: The winner will play Georgia for the SEC title. The Longhorns will likely remain in the 12-team field either way.
No. 15 South Carolina vs. No. 12 Clemson: Palmetto Bowl with a chance to stay out of CFP consideration.
This week's expected first-round matchups
Teams are listed by seed, not ranking.
No. 12 Arizona State and No. 5 Ohio State: Fun fact: The Big 12 is not guaranteed a spot in these playoffs. Tulane is 17th in the American Athletic Conference, one spot behind ASU.
No. 9 Tennessee vs. No. 8 Georgia: The Bulldogs could suffer their third loss in the SEC title game. This will be a rematch of Nov. 16, when Georgia won 31-17.
No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 6 Penn State: An argument could be made that if these Big Ten foes had played this season, neither of them might be here.
No. 10 SMU vs. No. 7 Notre Dame: They haven't played each other since 1989, but are scheduled to play again in 2026.
