Projected CFP rankings after Miami upset by Syracuse, Alabama and Notre Dame roll on
Of course rivalry week was always going to shake up the college football rankings and the College Football Playoff picture. We might not have realized just how much, though, as the Miami Hurricanes have now joined the Ohio State Buckeyes with some chaos in the mix.
Miami was a double-digit favorite on the road at Syracuse on Saturday with the chance to punch its ticket to the ACC Championship Game and likely have a shot at an at-large berth no matter what would've happened against SMU. Instead, they went the opposite way, losing a shootout to the Orange in the dome and now sitting with two losses, both against unranked opponents.
In the mid-afternoon window, though, there was a bit less chaos outside of Miami. The Alabama Crimson Tide got off the mat after last week's loss to Oklahoma and beat upset-minded Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Notre Dame also overcame its rival, USC, in emphatic fashion.
And let's not forget Arizona State, a team that shockingly has now won 10 games this season and is heading for the Big 12 Championship Game and a chance at a College Football Playoff berth. Who they will face, however, is yet to be determined.
So where does that leave us? Things are all over the place but these are our latest projections for the CFP Top 25 college football rankings.
Projected CFP Top 25 college football rankings after Syracuse upsets Miami
- Oregon Ducks
- Texas Longhorns
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- SMU Mustangs
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Boise State Broncos
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Miami Hurricanes
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Iowa State Cyclones
- BYU Cougars
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Clemson Tigers
- Missouri Tigers
- UNLV Rebels
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Colorado Buffaloes
- Tulane Green Wave
Miami is going to fall precipitously behind a trio of three-loss SEC teams after falling to Syracuse. They had a shot as an at-large College Football Playoff team coming into this game if they won. A loss to SMU in the ACC Championship Game would've still allowed them the grace to possibly sneak in. Now, there is no shot at an automatic bid and almost surely no shot of an at-large berth.
As for Alabama, I'm projecting them to fall behind South Carolina, despite a head-to-head win. The Gamecocks have an identical record but they don't have a bad loss on the resumé to this point. Alabama, on the other hand, ostensibly has two with a loss to Vanderbilt and a blowout loss to Oklahoma, two fringe bowl teams by their records.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, could now be a lock for a either the No. 5 or 6 seed in the Playoff with their win over USC. It wasn't a game in which they could gain ground but, with Ohio State taking a second loss and Penn State now in line to take a second loss in the Big Ten Championship Game, it sets up perfectly for the Irish to be the top-ranked at-large team.
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