NCAA Football Rankings 2017:Analyzing Week 12 Polls and Top 25 College Standings
As insane as it might sound, the chaos from Week 11 in college football may have helped restore order in the rankings.
If the latest AP Top 25 is any indication of what the College Football Playoff rankings will look like on Tuesday, the picture has more clarity with conference championship games determining a few of the semifinalists.
The SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 title games as well as Alabama-Auburn on November 25 could give us the top four teams in the nation, but that's only if no upsets occur in the next two weeks.
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AP Top 25
1. Alabama
2. Miami (FL)
3. Oklahoma
4. Clemson
5. Wisconsin
6. Auburn
7. Georgia
8. Ohio State
9. Notre Dame
10. Oklahoma State
11. TCU
12. USC
13. Penn State
14. UCF
15. Washington State
16. Washington
17. Mississippi State
18. Memphis
19. Michigan
20. Stanford
21. LSU
22. Michigan State
23. USF
24. West Virginia
25. NC State
Miami Finally Getting Respect it Deserves
After the conclusion of Week 9, we were busy debating where Miami would land in the first College Football Playoff rankings with an undefeated record and no quality wins.
That's all changed, as the Hurricanes have victories over Virginia Tech and Notre Dame and lay claim to the No. 2 spot in the AP poll. The five-spot jump in the AP rankings should signal a significant leap in the playoff standings as well.
Before Saturday's conquest of the Fighting Irish, the Hurricanes clinched the ACC Coastal Division by way of Virginia's loss to Louisville.
ESPN's David Hale pointed out the Hurricanes became the fifth different Coastal champion since 2013:
The formula for Miami to reach the playoff is clear. All the Hurricanes have to do is win out and they'll be featured on the sport's biggest stage, possibly as the No. 1 team depending on what happens in the SEC.
Two-Loss Teams Climbing
One of the playoff scenarios being tossed around at the moment involves the inclusion of two-loss teams, a debate that picked up more steam after Auburn's win over Georgia.
At No. 6 in the AP poll, Auburn is in decent shape after Week 11, and it could be in even better position to qualify for the playoff if it downs Alabama in the Iron Bowl on November 25.
Behind Auburn is a growing contingent of two-loss teams in the AP Top 10. Ohio State and Oklahoma State moved back into the top 10 on Sunday, while Notre Dame, with its two losses to Miami and Georgia, dropped down to No. 9.
Outside of the top 10 lie TCU, USC and Penn State, with the Trojans having the best chance of storming into the top five with a win in the Pac-12 Championship, a victory that might not be good enough if the teams above them win out.
UCF Not Getting Any Love
UCF is the lowest ranked of the four remaining unbeaten teams, and it's not even close. The Knights didn't move from the No. 14 spot after their win over UConn in Week 11.
As long as the Knights win out against Temple, USF and most likely Memphis in The American Championship, they'll reach one of the New Year's Six games as the best Group of Five team.
Despite the security of a place in the spotlight with three more wins, Scott Frost's crew deserve a higher ranking no matter who is in front of them.
Frost shared his thoughts on the rankings via UCF's official team Twitter account:
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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