Ohio State remained No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night, with Georgia, Michigan and Florida State following the Buckeyes, as the selection committee stood pat with its top eight teams.
Washington was fifth, followed by Pac-12 rival Oregon, Texas and Alabama at eighth.
Only one of the top 11 teams in last week’s first CFP rankings lost last weekend. Oklahoma dropped from ninth to 17th after losing to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys moved up to 15th.
Ohio State was trailing at halftime at Rutgers, before pulling away, and that was enough to keep the Buckeyes atop the rankings.
“They continue to play well,” said committee chairman Boo Corrigan, who is North Carolina State’s athletic director. “Really physical team. (Running back) TreVeyon Henderson being back, going for over 100 yards the last two two games helps them overall, with their top five defense as well.”
The CFP semifinals will be played in the Rose and Sugar bowls on Jan. 1. The national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 8 in Houston.
There is the potential to shake up the top four this weekend with Georgia and Michigan both facing their highest-ranked opponents so far.
The Bulldogs host Mississippi, the committee’s ninth-ranked team. The Wolverines visit Penn State, which is 10th. Washington also faces a ranked team, with No. 18 Utah, coming to Seattle on Saturday.
The lowest-ranked team from a Power Five conference with one loss is Louisville (8-1) out of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
A two-loss team has never made the four-team playoff, which is expanding to 12 teams next year.
Tulane remains the highest-ranked team from outside the Power Five conferences at 23rd. The committee’s highest-ranked champion from the so-called Group of Five conferences receives a bid to the New Year’s Six bowls.
