On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff selection committee released its second edition of the CFP rankings for the 2021 season, giving college football fans a window into how the top teams in the country stack up in the committee's eyes.
Here are the second CFP rankings for the 2021 season.
College Football Playoff rankings: Top 25 for Week 11
|
RANK |
SCHOOL |
RECORD |
PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 9-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Alabama | 8-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Oregon | 8-1 | 4 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 8-1 | 5 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | 9-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Michigan | 8-1 | 7 |
| 7 | Michigan State | 8-1 | 3 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 9-0 | 8 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 8-1 | 10 |
| 10 | Oklahoma State | 8-1 | 11 |
| 11 | Texas A&M | 7-2 | 14 |
| 12 | Wake Forest | 8-1 | 9 |
| 13 | Baylor | 7-2 | 12 |
| 14 | BYU | 8-2 | 15 |
| 15 | Ole Miss | 7-2 | 16 |
| 16 | NC State | 7-2 | 19 |
| 17 | Auburn | 6-3 | 13 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 6-3 | 21 |
| 19 | Purdue | 6-3 | NR |
| 20 | Iowa | 7-2 | 22 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | 7-2 | 25 |
| 22 | San Diego State | 8-1 | 24 |
| 23 | UTSA | 9-0 | NR |
| 24 | Utah | 6-3 | NR |
| 25 | Arkansas | 6-3 | NR |
There's a new-look top four
In Week 10, days after Michigan State debuted at No. 3 in the first CFP rankings of the season, the Spartans suffered their first loss of the season as they went on the road and lost to the Purdue Boilermakers 40-29. Now that Michigan State joined the fray of the one-loss teams, the selection committee dropped the Spartans from the top four, which is now ordered No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 Ohio State.
The Ducks won on the road against the Buckeyes earlier this season in one of the premier non-conference wins in all of college football this season.
Michigan State is now ranked No. 7, one spot behind the Michigan team it beat in Week 9.
Where is Cincinnati ranked?
In its first-ever weekend hosting College GameDay, Cincinnati escaped a Tulsa team that is now 3-6 on the season in a 28-20 victory. The Bearcats' defense forced a fumble on their own goal line late in the game to seal the victory and prevent a potentially game-tying 2-point attempt.
It was Cincinnati's second one-possession victory in its last three games but the Bearcats certainly weren't the only top-10 team that didn't win in a dominant fashion in Week 10 — something the selection committee decided to act upon as they moved the Bearcats up one spot to No. 5, following Michigan State's loss. It is the highest ranking ever for a team that is not a member of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 or SEC, excluding Notre Dame.
How about the rest of the undefeated teams?
There are only four remaining undefeated teams at the FBS level and all four of them are ranked in the latest CFP rankings.
Georgia is No. 1 for the second week in a row, followed by No. 5 Cincinnati and No. 8 Oklahoma.
UTSA, which is 9-0 and ranked No. 15 in the latest AP Top 25 poll after beating UTEP, is ranked in the CFP rankings for the first time ever at No. 23.
These newcomers joined the CFP rankings
The following teams dropped out of the CFP rankings after Week 10 (previous ranking in parentheses):
- Mississippi State (No. 17)
- Kentucky (No. 18)
- Minnesota (No. 20)
- Fresno State (No. 23)
They were replaced by No. 19 Purdue, No. 23 UTSA, No. 24 Utah and No. 25 Arkansas.
