Georgia No. 1 in latest CFP rankings, Washington, Oregon Top 2: Where does this leave the Buckeyes

Written by Nicole Auerbach, Seth Emerson, Austin Meek, and Cameron Teague Robinson

Georgia was ranked No. 1 in Tuesday’s latest College Football Playoff rankings. Here’s what you need to know:

• No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Florida rounded out the top four in the rankings.
• No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oregon were the first two teams eliminated from playoff contention.
• The top four teams are all 10-0, with Michigan and Ohio State facing off in a Big Ten showdown on November 25.

Evaluating the committee’s decisions

The committee made the right call in sliding Georgia into first place now that the Dawgs have two of the best wins of any opponent (over Missouri and Ole Miss). The only thing I have about the top six is ​​that Washington is still behind Florida State – despite a stronger resume that includes a win over No. 6 Oregon. I’m surprised there’s been no change in any iteration of the rankings so far this season, especially this week as we see the selection committee make an adjustment to first place for a similar reason. — Nicole Auerbach is a senior writer at CFB

Why Georgia is #1

As upset as Georgia fans and its program are about these rankings, after they’ve been around this long enough, it seems important. First, it’s a good reward for the way Georgia has played lately. More importantly, the Bulldogs are set up to survive a loss down the stretch.

Clearly enough of the committee members appreciate what Kirby Smart’s team has done on the field, including a schedule that looks better than it did at the start of the season. That will make it difficult for Georgia to freefall out of the top four if it loses, either this weekend at Tennessee or in the SEC Championship game against Alabama. (It would be hard to stomach an unranked Georgia Tech team losing between them.) Much will still depend on what happens elsewhere, but Georgia is now in a stronger position than it was two weeks ago. — Seth Emerson, Georgia beat writer

Did Ohio State fall by surprise?

This was what I expected to happen. Georgia deserved to leapfrog Ohio State after the upset win over Ole Miss, but again, that ranking doesn’t mean much to the Buckeyes. Ohio State still has one of the best resumes in the country, but the game in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25 will determine whether the Buckeyes or Michigan advance to the College Football Playoff. Fortunately for Ohio State, it appears to be playing its best football of the season right now, despite Georgia’s rise in the rankings.

It’s all in front of Ohio State. Beat Minnesota on Saturday and then the game. These are the most important things for the Buckeyes right now: The seeding means Ohio State controls its own destiny. — Cameron Teague Robinson, Ohio State beat writer

Michigan still has a chance at first place

The “Michigan didn’t play anyone” argument was finally put to rest after the Wolverines’ win over Penn State, the No. 12 ranked team this week. That 24-15 victory wasn’t enough to put the Wolverines ahead of Ohio State or Georgia, but it kept them firmly in the top four. After waiting so long for the first test, Michigan got a big one, playing a talented Penn State team on the road the day after Jim Harbaugh was suspended. They remain undefeated and will have a chance to be No. 1 if they win their next two games against Maryland and Ohio State. — Michigan State’s Austin Meek beat Writer

Required reading

(Photo: Brett Davis/USA Today)