Overview
- The committee kept Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M at 1–3 and elevated Georgia to No. 4, which currently secures the final first-round bye.
- Alabama fell six spots to No. 10 after a 23-21 loss to Oklahoma, which climbed to No. 8 as Notre Dame held No. 9 ahead of Miami despite the Hurricanes’ head-to-head win.
- Tulane entered at No. 24 to become the current Group of Five representative after South Florida dropped out following a loss to Navy.
- Saturday’s Oregon–USC matchup is being cast as pivotal for playoff hopes, with a Trojans loss likely ending their bid and a Ducks win strengthening theirs.
- New committee chair Hunter Yurachek said head-to-head results matter when teams are in comparable tiers, noting Miami and Notre Dame have not been directly compared yet as two ranking releases remain before the Dec. 7 final.