College playoff rankings scrambled with SEC losses

The Southeastern Conference’s losses were almost everyone else’s gain in the College Football Playoff rankings, with SMU nudging its way into the top 12 and Indiana staying in the mix at No. 10 despite a lopsided loss of its own.

The 12-team bracket released Tuesday placed undefeated Oregon on top for the fourth straight week. It did not include Alabama or Mississippi of the SEC, both of which suffered their third losses of the season last week.

That helped move SMU up four spots to No. 9, joining No. 6 Miami to give the Atlantic Coast Conference two teams in the 12-team bracket. They could meet in the ACC title game in two weeks. Clemson, ranked 12th, is also in the mix.

All eyes were on Indiana, and how harshly the committee would penalize the Hoosiers for their first loss of the season, a 38-15 thumping by No. 2 Ohio State. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti scoffed at the idea the Hoosiers weren’t a playoff team. The selection committee agreed, only bumping the Hoosiers down five spots.

The committee wasn’t nearly as generous to the Big 12. Losses by its top two teams last week — BYU and Colorado — vaulted Arizona State, which beat BYU, into the bracket.

The Sun Devils were ranked 16th. That afforded them the 12th and final spot in the bracket as the fifth-best projected conference champ, but gave the Big 12 the distinct feel of a one-bid league.

Another bid would belong to Boise State of the Mountain West. The Broncos were ranked 11th but got the fourth seed in the bracket as the fourth-best projected conference champion.

SEC leader Texas was ranked third.

Alabama dropped six spots to No. 13 and Ole Miss dropped five spots to No. 14. Both are out of the mix, but not completely out of the question, as the committee wrestles over the next two weeks with whether a three-loss team belongs in the playoff.

Other rankings: No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 7 Georgia and No. 8 Tennessee.

There are two more rankings to come out — next week, then the last one on Dec. 8, which will set the pairings for the playoffs that start Dec. 20. The national title game is set for Jan. 20 in Atlanta.