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ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bulldogs moved to No. 1 in the second College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish jumped six spots to No. 5 after beating the previously top-ranked Miami Hurricanes 31-24 on Saturday.
Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC) climbed from No. 2 after a 35-point win at the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday. Miami (8-1) fell six spots to No. 7.
The unbeaten Utah Utes (9-0) are No. 2, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2) at No. 3 and the unbeaten UCLA Bruins (9-0) at No. 4. Utah and UCLA are the only undefeated teams left in the FBS.
Committee chair Hunter Yurachek spoke after Tuesday night’s release, The Associated Press reported. The 13-member committee will publish three more rankings before it sets the 12-team bracket on Dec. 6.
“Last week we said there would be a lot of movement in these rankings, and there certainly was,” Yurachek said. “Not a single team is in the same spot they held last week.”
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Jump Miami Hurricanes After 31-24 Win
Notre Dame (8-1) entered the week at No. 11 in the committee’s first rankings, released Nov. 3. Its only loss came against the BYU Cougars, who are now No. 10.
“We talked last week that Notre Dame had a lot of respect from the committee, a dominant team, but had yet to have the signature win, and they looked like the Notre Dame team that should be ranked No. 5,” Yurachek said. “They were up 24-3 [on Miami].”
Miami played without Malachi Toney, who was injured in practice during the week. The committee takes player availability into account in its rankings.
The Indiana Hoosiers (8-1) dropped five spots to No. 9 without playing. UCLA moved up four spots after a two-touchdown win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and Alabama rose two spots after a 31-13 win at the LSU Tigers.
“You have that combination of Miami losing as a No. 1 team and then five teams behind them having some signature wins,” Yurachek said. “The committee thought moving those teams ahead of Miami was the right thing to do.”
The Tennessee Volunteers (7-2) are No. 8 after a 34-6 win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky (7-2) dropped six spots to No. 11.
Texas Longhorns Sixth, Texas Tech Red Raiders First Team Out
The Texas Longhorns (7-2) moved up one spot to No. 6 after a road win at the Missouri Tigers. Texas has four wins over ranked opponents, the most in the country, and plays at LSU on Saturday.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1) are No. 12, up three spots from the first rankings. Texas Tech would be the first team out if the field were set today.
The Boise State Broncos (8-1), ranked No. 24, would take the final spot as the highest-ranked Group of Six conference champion.
The SEC would have five teams in the projected bracket. The Big Ten and Big 12 would have two each, and Miami would be the ACC’s only team. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-1) are No. 13 and visit the SMU Mustangs on Saturday.
Utah plays at the No. 23 Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, and the No. 18 USC Trojans visit Indiana. UCLA hosts the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday night. Georgia’s remaining regular-season opponents are Missouri, the No. 17 South Carolina Gamecocks, and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The playoff expands to 24 teams next season. The committee releases its next rankings Tuesday, Nov. 17.
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