The College Football Playoff selection committee did not penalize Ole Miss after coach Lane Kiffin’s surprise move to LSU, instead moving the Rebels up one spot to sixth in Tuesday’s penultimate rankings following their 38-19 Egg Bowl win over rival Mississippi State.
Ole Miss officials had worried the committee might dock the program after Kiffin left, which could have jeopardized the Rebels’ chances to host a CFP first-round game. “Obviously, our team is still intact,” Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter told ESPN. “Our players are fired up and ready to go. We’ve got a great staff that’s ready to roll throughout the playoff run.”
The top of the poll remained unchanged with unbeaten Ohio State at No. 1 and Indiana at No. 2. They were followed by No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas Tech and No. 5 Oregon. Georgia, Texas Tech and Oregon each climbed one spot after previously unbeaten Texas A&M fell 27-17 at Texas last week.
Texas A&M dropped four spots to sit one spot behind Ole Miss at No. 7. Oklahoma, Alabama and Notre Dame round out the top 10. BYU was 11th and Miami 12th.
CFP selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek, the athletic director at Arkansas, said the debate over Alabama and Notre Dame was among the strongest he’s seen recently. “Notre Dame went on the road, had a strong win at Stanford. But Alabama went on the road, in a rivalry game, and looked really good, especially in the first half,” Yurachek said on ESPN’s rankings release show.
Under the current standings, Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia and Texas Tech would receive first-round byes. Projected first-round matchups would be: Tulane at Oregon; Virginia at Ole Miss; Notre Dame at Texas A&M; and Alabama at Oklahoma.
If Tuesday’s rankings were used for a 12-team bracket, BYU and Miami would be bumped out. No. 17 Virginia would replace BYU as the projected ACC champion, and No. 20 Tulane would replace Miami as the highest-ranked champion from a non–Power Five conference.
The committee will release its final CFP rankings Sunday. “We will evaluate the results of the championship games after they are all completed,” Yurachek said.
How the committee treated Ole Miss was a key storyline this week. The Rebels finished the regular season 11-1 — the best single-season win total in school history — with their lone loss on Oct. 18 at Georgia and a five-game win streak to close the regular season. “I think these guys should be judged by what they’ve done on the field, and 11-1, I think it speaks for itself,” Carter said. “I would hope that the committee kind of looks at the information they have and rewards these young men for an incredible season.”
Kiffin left Ole Miss before completing his sixth season, agreeing to a seven-year contract at LSU that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in FBS; he also took several assistants with him. LSU announced Tuesday that Charlie Weis Jr., Ole Miss’ primary play caller this season and LSU’s new offensive coordinator, would be allowed to return to the Rebels for the CFP. Kiffin, in a statement, said he informed the committee of the arrangement and expressed hope it would help Ole Miss receive the highest possible ranking. “I’m excited that Charlie will be back to help coach the greatest team in the history of Ole Miss,” Kiffin said.
Texas rose three spots to No. 13 after upsetting Texas A&M, followed by Vanderbilt and Utah. USC was No. 16, with Virginia, Arizona, Michigan and Tulane completing the top 20. Houston, Georgia Tech, Iowa, North Texas and James Madison were ranked Nos. 21-25.
Houston, Iowa, North Texas and James Madison were new to this week’s Top 25; Tennessee, Arizona State, SMU and Pittsburgh fell out after losses last week.
With Tulane and North Texas both ranked from the American Athletic Conference and James Madison included from the Sun Belt, there is a scenario in which two Group of Five champions could earn bids to the 12-team playoff for the first time. That would require five-loss Duke to upset Virginia in the ACC title game. North Texas faces Tulane in the American championship Friday, and Troy visits James Madison in the Sun Belt title game, also Friday.
Miami is the highest-ranked ACC team but did not qualify for the conference title game. Notre Dame, which lost to Miami 27-24 on Aug. 31, remains two spots ahead of the Hurricanes despite both teams finishing 10-2. Yurachek noted that idle teams can move after the championship games, saying, “Teams that are idle can move up or down.”
