Just one more week in the college football regular season remains and it appears the playoff picture is getting clearer after the ranking release by the committee Tuesday.
Ohio State appears in line to host a first-round game after the Buckeyes were slotted in at No. 6 ahead of Tennessee. Miami, meanwhile, fell behind No. 11 Alabama after its loss to Syracuse and appears out of at-large consideration.
With committee chairman Warde Manuel appearing to confirm that teams not playing this weekend wouldn’t have their ranking change, that means the major drama centers around whether a loss by No. 8 SMU to Clemson in the ACC title game would move the Mustangs behind Alabama for the final at-large spot in the field.
As some teams await their playoff fates, others are dealing with coaching changes. North Carolina, West Virginia, Purdue and Central Florida are the Power Four schools with vacancies. Who could be top candidates?
Looking ahead to the weekend’s nine conference championship games, there will be top-five matchups in the Big Ten and SEC. The Big 12 will settle its entry into the playoff, while the Mountain West likely determines the Group of Five participant. Who will emerge victorious this weekend?
Dan Wolken and Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports discuss these topics and more in this week’s version of the College Football Fix.
PLAYOFF PREDICTION: Forecasting how the 12-team field will look Sunday
HIGH TIDE: Alabama’s ranking shows SEC, Big Ten control of college sports
WINNERS AND LOSERS: Ohio State, Alabama boosted by CFP committee
BOWL PROJECTIONS: Alabama joins playoff, while Texas, SMU move up
WEEK 15 LINEUP: Previewing the nine conference championship games
RE-RANK: Texas moves up, Ohio State tumbles in NCAA 1-134 ranking
