Rankings Released: LSU on top, Bama bounced

For the second week in a row, 13 committee members found themselves locked in a conference room at the Gaylord Texan Resort as they deliberated who would top the college football world.

By the end of their deliberations, the pool of members composed of athletic directors, former players and coaches, journalists and a professor, found the Louisiana State Tigers to be the best team in the country.

https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff/status/1194428969178845186?s=20

Game of the Century Fallout

Back in 2011, the No. 1 LSU Tigers visited Tuscaloosa to square off against the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide in a game that featured 49 future NFL players. During that contest eight years ago, the Tigers found themselves on top in a 9-6 OT victory. Last Saturday, history would repeat itself in the sense that LSU would once again win — however, this win came with a lot more scoring.

In a 46-41 victory, Ed Orgeron’s Tigers won the contest that was once again billed the “Game of the Century“.  Coming into the game, the No. 2 Tigers found themselves edging the No. 3 Crimson Tide by a single spot.

However, following the win, Joe Burrow and the No. 1 Tigers find themselves atop the rankings while Nick Saban’s No.5 Tide have been pushed out of the Top-4 and are on the outside looking in.

This is the first time @LSUfootball has been No. 1 in the #CFBPlayoff rankings … pic.twitter.com/clQSYOBLEw

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 13, 2019

Ohio State Dips

Following LSU taking over the helm of college football, the former No. 1, Ohio State Buckeyes dropped a spot.

Despite a 73-14 thumping of Maryland last weekend, the Buckeyes became the first team in the playoff era to drop a spot without losing.

If LSU overtakes Ohio State for the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings this week, it’ll be the first time in the Playoff era that the No. 1 team has fallen without losing.

— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) November 10, 2019

So far this season, the Buckeyes have faced just two ranked opponents in Wisconsin and Cincinnati — neither of those teams are anywhere near the caliber of the teams LSU has defeated. A majority of the college football world understands this so there aren’t too many arguing OSU’s skid to No. 2.

The Buckeyes will have an opportunity to turn heads two weeks from now when they host the No. 9 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions — a team that was edged by an undefeated Minnesota team last Saturday.

Clemson Climbs

100 quarters. 25 games. Zero losses.

The Clemson Tigers, also known as the 2018 National Champions, haven’t lost a football game since the playoffs in 2017. And with a strength of schedule that ranks 43rd in the country, the Tigers were excluded from the Top-4 conversation when the initial college football playoffs came out last week.

However, with the Tigers coming off of a 55-10 win over NC State last week, the committee gave Dabo Swinney’s Tiger team the nod and etched them into the playoff conversation giving them a place at the No. 3 spot.

2nd in the FPI. 5th most efficient offense. 1st most efficient defense. 5th best strength of record. 3rd in game control. 24 game win streak, including a national title. 2nd highest scoring margin. Powerhouse.

But don’t worry, we’d be scared if we were you, too. https://t.co/KjfxwXXNBv

— Barstool Clemson (@BarstoolClemson) November 13, 2019

Gasping at Georgia

The talk of the town Tuesday night was the fact that Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs round out the pack in the No. 4 slot.

The question of whether or not the Bulldogs belong at the four spot over the Crimson Tide seems to be the one that has everyone arguing. With both SEC teams donning one loss on their resume, the argument exists that Alabama’s loss to LSU is more respectable than Georgia’s loss to South Carolina.

So, Alabama loses a game to a higher ranked team in LSU, but drops below a Georgia team that lost to a sub-.500 South Carolina team? Huh? Alabama is Top 4, without reasonable argument. @AlabamaFTBL https://t.co/84eTxWKZrT

— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) November 13, 2019

However, those siding with the committee views Georgia as the stronger team considering they have two Top-10 wins under their belt with victories over Notre Dame and Florida. Meanwhile, the only ranked opponent Alabama had faced prior to the LSU game was a No. 24 ranked Texas A&M team — a team that fell out following their loss to the Tide.

The Rest of the Field

Joining Alabama, the Oregon Ducks are also on the cusp of the field of four — they came in at No. 6.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Golden Gophers picked up a big win over the weekend, ending Penn State’s undefeated season. Following the fact, Minnesota rocketed up nine spots from No. 17 to No. 8 — the largest launch from any team in the playoff era.

The rest of the rankings are as followed:

https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff/status/1194409103818469376?s=20