In their next-to-last rankings released on Tuesday, the College Football Playoff selection committee did not penalize Ole Miss for Lane Kiffin and his shocking move to LSU.
Actually, the committee elevated the Rebels one position to sixth after their 38-19 win against rival Mississippi State in the recent Egg Bowl.
Officials from Ole Miss were worried that the selection committee might lower their ranking following Kiffin’s departure to a competing SEC team on Sunday, which could jeopardize their chances of hosting a CFP first-round game later this month.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter mentioned to ESPN on Tuesday: “Obviously, our team is still intact,”
“Our players are fired up and ready to go. We’ve got a great staff that’s ready to roll throughout the playoff run.”
Undefeated Ohio State and Indiana continue to hold the top two spots, followed by No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas Tech, and No. 5 Oregon. The Bulldogs, Red Raiders, and Ducks each moved up one position after previously unbeaten Texas A&M suffered a 27-17 loss to Texas last week.
Texas A&M dropped four spots to No. 7, just behind Ole Miss, and was followed by Oklahoma, Alabama, and Notre Dame, completing the top ten. BYU is placed 11th, with Miami at 12th.
Currently, Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, and Texas Tech would earn first-round byes. The first-round matchups would feature Tulane at Oregon, Virginia at Ole Miss, Notre Dame at Texas A&M, and Alabama at Oklahoma.
The Cougars and Hurricanes would be excluded from the playoff field if Tuesday’s rankings were applied to the 12-team bracket. No. 17 Virginia would take BYU’s place as the projected ACC champion, while No. 20 Tulane would take the spot of Miami as the highest-ranked champion from a non-Power 4 conference.
The final CFP rankings will be revealed on Sunday.
