The Detroit News
| The Detroit News
Michigan has some work to do to make the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in the last five years.
The Wolverines (7-2 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) were ranked No. 21 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.
The Wolverines, also ranked No. 21 in this week’s AP college football poll, are in third in the Big Ten, behind Indiana (9-0, 6-0) and Ohio State (8-0, 5-0).
Michigan closes the regular season with road games against Northwestern (at Wrigley Field) and Maryland, and a home game vs. Ohio State.
Oregon (7-1, 4-1), USC (6-2, 4-1) and Iowa (6-2, 4-1) are other Big Ten contenders for the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State received top billing in the rankings, followed by Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama. The top three head into the final four weeks of the regular season undefeated. Another team with no losses, BYU of the Big 12, was ranked seventh.
At No. 5 was Georgia, followed by Ole Miss. All of the top six came from either the Big Ten or SEC – a dose of business as usual despite a season that has been anything but predictable.
Texas Tech was ranked eighth and Oregon came in at No. 9. Rounding out the top 12 were Notre Dame, Texas and Oklahoma.
But if the bracket were set based on these rankings, the Longhorns and Sooners would miss out – bumped by No. 14 Virginia of the ACC and Memphis of the American thanks to a rule that places the five best-ranked conference champions into the bracket even if they’re not in the top 12.
Memphis wasn’t among the committee’s top 25 but was still the highest ranked leader in a Group of 5 conference.
This is the first of six College Football Playoff rankings updates. The remaining dates are Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Nov. 25, Dec. 2 and, for the final 12-team playoff field, Sunday, Dec. 7 at noon.
College Football Playoff rankings
1. Ohio State, 8-0
2. Indiana, 9-0
3. Texas A&M, 8-0
4. Alabama, 7-1
5. Georgia, 7-1
6. Ole Miss, 8-1
7. BYU, 8-0
8. Texas Tech, 8-0
9. Oregon, 7-3
10. Notre Dame, 6-2
11. Texas, 7-2
12. Oklahoma, 7-2
13. Utah, 7-2
14. Virginia, 8-1
15. Louisville, 8-1
16. Vanderbilt, 7-2
17. Georgia Tech, 8-1
18. Miami, 6-2
19. USC, 6-2
20. Iowa, 6-2
21. Michigan, 7-2
22. Missouri, 6-2
23. Washington, 6-2
24. Pittsburgh, 7-2
25. Tennessee, 6-3
Projected bracket
If the CFP started today, this is what the first round and quarterfinal matchups would be. Note that playoff seedings (not rankings) are listed.
FIRST ROUND
No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 Oregon
No. 7 BYU vs. No. 10 Notre Dame
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Virginia
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 12 Memphis
QUARTERFINALS
No. 1 Ohio State vs. Texas Tech-Oregon winner
No. 2 Indiana vs. BYU-Notre Dame winner
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss-Virginia winner
No. 4 Alabama vs. Georgia-Memphis winner
College Football Playoff schedule
FIRST ROUND
(Campus sites)
Friday, Dec. 19
One game – 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 20
Three games – Noon, 3:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Wednesday, Dec. 31
Cotton Bowl, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 1
Orange Bowl, noon
Rose Bowl, 4 p.m.
Sugar Bowl, 8 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Thursday, Jan. 8
Fiesta Bowl, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 9
Peach Bowl, 7:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, Jan. 19
At Miami Gardens, Fla., 7:30 p.m.
Associated Press contributed.