Grapevine, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – TCU’s thorough victory over Kansas State
last weekend moved the Horned Frogs into the fourth spot in the latest College
Football Playoff rankings.
TCU (8-1) and Kansas State were sixth and seventh, respectively, last week,
and the Horned Frogs’ 41-20 drubbing moved them past Alabama, which remained
at No. 5.
That position will quickly change for the Crimson Tide (8-1), who host No. 1
Mississippi State (9-0) this Saturday after outlasting LSU in overtime.
The Bulldogs held the top spot for the third straight week and were followed
by Oregon and Florida State. The one-loss Ducks (9-1) moved ahead of the
undefeated Seminoles (9-0) in Tuesday’s release.
“We spent a lot of time discussing the merits of the top teams this week,”
said selection committee chairman Jeff Long. “We clearly look at the win/loss
record, but we also look beyond the record to other factors indicating overall
strength. Our thinking is consistent. Strength of schedule and body of work
are important. Week in and week out, we will begin with a fresh look at all
the teams and a clean sheet of paper which provides us with new perspective.”
Ohio State made a big jump following its convincing win over Michigan State,
as the Buckeyes (8-1) moved up five spots to No. 8.
Arizona State and Baylor sit at six and seven, respectively, while Auburn and
Ole Miss rounded out this week’s top 10.
UCLA, Michigan State, Kansas State, Arizona, Georgia, Nebraska, LSU, Notre
Dame, Clemson, Wisconsin, Duke, Georgia Tech, Utah, Texas A&M and Minnesota
complete the top 25.
There will be four more votes by the 12-member selection committee culminating
on Dec. 7, when the four teams that will play in the national semifinals on
Jan. 1 will be announced.
The winners of the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day will move on to
the national championship game on Jan. 12 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The playoff replaces the oft-criticized Bowl Championship Series, which was in
place from 1998 until last season.
