For the third straight week, Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State held on to the top four spots in the College Football Playoff rankings.
After suffering its first loss of the season on Saturday, BYU saw the fallout on Tuesday. The selection committee placed the Cougars in the No. 18 spot and moved up Coastal Carolina to No. 13. The programs were essentially switched from where they landed in last week’s rankings.
Now, the Chanticleers, who defeated the Cougars 22-17, are on the cusp of getting into a New Years Six bowl and BYU is most likely left out.
The selection committee’s second-from-last rankings had only a little movement in the top 10. Texas A&M is still fifth and Florida held at sixth.
Iowa State moved up a couple of spots to seventh after earning a spot in the Big 12 title game. Cincinnati slipped a spot to eighth after an idle week because of COVID-19 issues in the program.
The Bearcats also will not play this week against Tulsa, the committee’s 24th-ranked team. Those two schools are scheduled to meet Dec. 19 in the American Athletic Conference title game.
Ohio State is also currently without a game this weekend after Michigan had to cancel because of a COVID-19 outbreak.
Georgia is ninth and Miami is 10th.
Tribune writer Norma Gonzalez contributed to this report
2020 College Football Playoff Rankings
Dec. 8
Team, Record
1. Alabama, 9-0
2. Notre Dame, 10-0
3. Clemson, 9-1
4. Ohio State, 5-0
5. Texas A&M, 7-1
6. Florida, 8-1
7. Iowa State, 8-2
8. Cincinnati, 8-0
9. Georgia, 6-2
10. Miami, 8-1
11. Oklahoma, 7-2
12. Indiana, 6-1
13. Coastal Carolina, 10-0
14. Northwestern, 5-1
15. USC, 4-0
16. Iowa, 5-2
17. North Carolina, 7-3
18. BYU, 9-1
19. Louisiana-Lafayette, 9-1
20. Texas, 6-3
21. Colorado, 4-0
22. Oklahoma State, 6-3
23. NC State, 8-3
24. Tulsa, 6-1
25. Missouri, 5-3
The playoff semifinals match the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 4 seed, and No. 2 will face No. 3. The semifinals will be hosted at the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2021. The championship game will be played on Jan. 11, 2021 at Miami Gardens, Fla.