ATHENS — Georgia remains the top-ranked, one-loss team in the nation in the College Football Playoff Rankings.
LSU (9-0) took over the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night on the strength of its 46-41 win at Alabama last Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
Ohio State (9-0) was No. 2 and Clemson (10-0) was No. 3, and then came the Bulldogs (8-1) at No. 4.
The Crimson Tide (8-1) came in at No. 5 with Oregon (8-1) at No. 6.
LSU’s win last Saturday snapped Alabama’s 31-game home win streak and ended the Bayou Bengals’ string of futility against the Tide at 8 games last Saturday.
The Tigers have four wins over teams ranked in the Top 20 this season: Alabama (No. 5), Florida (No. 11), Auburn (No. 12) and Texas (No. 19).
Ohio State (9-0) dropped to No. 2 despite a 73-14 win over Maryland. The Buckeyes’ best win was a 38-7 victory over No. 14 Wisconsin on Oct. 26 in Columbus, Ohio.
It’s the first time the top-ranked team in the CFP rankings has dropped when coming off a win.
Defending College Football Playoff champion Clemson (10-0) is at No. 3 after its 55-10 win at North Carolina State last Saturday.
Georgia is ranked ahead of Alabama on the strength of its wins over No. 11 Florida and No. 16 Notre Dame.
“As you look at (Nos.) 4 and 5, two really good teams, one-loss teams, we just saw Alabama had a tough loss,” said Rob Mullens, the chairman for the 13-member CFP Committee. “You compare that against Georgia’s resume, and the two big wins that Georgia had.”
Mullens explained on the teleconference that the committee works to rank the No. 1 to No. 3 teams, and then Nos. 4-6.
“The separator for Georgia in the (4-6) pool is their two wins against Top 20 teams,” Mullen said.
“You’re looking at the full resume, so you’re discussing everything, all the wins and the loss.”
Mullens said the committee spent a lot of time comparing Georgia to Alabama, and it did take into consideration that the Bulldogs lost to unranked South Carolina while the Tide lost to LSU.
The Crimson Tide, however, doesn’t have any wins over Top 25 teams this season. Its best win is likely considered the 47-28 victory it scored over Texas A&M on Oct. 12.
Alabama (8-1, 5-1) was ranked higher than the Bulldogs (8-1, 5-1) in the AP Top 25 poll last Sunday, coming in at No. 4 there with UGA No. 5.
Minnesota (9-0) made the biggest jump in the CFP rankings, up to No. 8 from No. 17 after a 31-26 home win over previously unbeaten and now No. 9-ranked Penn State.
The Bulldogs (8-1, 5-1 SEC) can clinch a spot in the SEC Championship Game with a win at No. 12 Auburn (7-2, 4-2) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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The committee had Georgia as the top-ranked one-loss team last Tuesday night, too.
CFP Committee chairman Rob Mullens explained why last week.
“Georgia has beaten two top 15 teams, (then-) No. 10 Florida, (then-) No. 15 Notre Dame,” Mullens said, asked by DawgNation on last Tuesday night’s national teleconference about the Bulldogs’ place in the order of one-loss teams.
“They are the only FBS team to not give up a rushing touchdown, which is a pretty strong statement. They have an experienced quarterback, and elite running back,” he said. “But the separator for them at this point was the two Top 15 wins.”
Georgia extended its streak of games without a rushing touchdown with a 27-0 win over Missouri, it’s third shutout of this season.
The rankings will be released the next three Tuesday nights at approximately 7 p.m. on ESPN, with the final rankings coming out on Sunday, Dec. 8, at noon.
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