This Tuesday's rankings could set things up for the ACC #2 vs SEC #4 debate.
If SMU is ranked above Ole Miss and Bama, they are setting up for the ACC ccg loser to get in.
If SMU is ranked below one or both SEC teams, they are setting up for the SEC #4 to get in above the ACC ccg loser.
I think right now, the SEC #4 is probably Ole Miss. They were 2 spots lower than Bama coming into today's game. They lost by a TD; Bama lost by 3 TDs and were effectively shutdown by OU. Both will drop, but how far?
How they reshuffle #11 to #17 will be important. 14, 15, and 16 all lost. Clemson and South Carolina could be as high as 11/12 with the winner of their game being in position for a backdoor playoff spot. I assume Miami is in the ACC ccg with a win over Syracuse (holding the tiebreaker over Clemson due to beating Louisville while Clemson lost to them).
Somebody mentioned it above: South Carolina could get the hype this week. With a win vs Clemson they would have 3 ranked wins down the stretch and a 6 game win streak. However, they also lost to both Ole Miss and Bama and if we compare scores, Ole Miss comes out the better again.
My rankings guess (how i think they look Tuesday):
1 Oregon
2 Ohio State
3 Texas
4 Penn State
5 Notre Dame
6 Miami
7 Georgia
8 Tennessee
9 Indiana
10 Boise State
11 SMU
12 Ole Miss
---------------
13 Clemson
14 Bama
15 South Carolina
16 Arizona State*
17 Tulane
18 BYU
19 Iowa State
20 Illinois
21 A&M
22 Missouri
23 UNLV
24 Kansas State
25 Colorado
Bye seeds: 1 Oregon, 2 Texas, 3 Miami, 4 Boise State
1st round:
5 OSU vs 12 Arizona State
6 PSU vs 11 SMU
7 Notre Dame vs 10 Indiana
8 UGA vs Tennessee
Ole Miss 1st team out TODAY, not assuming any wins/losses for future ccgs.
Question, is the Big 12 champion guaranteed in? Or can they be left out? I'm assuming they are in.