CFP top 5 holds, led by UGA, OSU, Michigan, TCU

There were nary changes to the apical 5 successful the College Football Playoff enactment committee's 3rd ranking connected Tuesday night, with No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 TCU holding dependable arsenic the nation's lone remaining undefeated teams, followed by No. 5 Tennessee.

After a 66-24 thumping of unranked Missouri, the Vols remained the committee's highest-ranked one-loss team, keeping them successful contention for the playoff without winning their division. Georgia clinched the SEC East and volition look No. 6 LSU, the highest-ranked two-loss team, successful the SEC title game. If LSU wins its conference, it could marque past arsenic the archetypal two-loss squad to scope the CFP.

Tennessee could go the 5th squad to marque the CFP without winning a league title, and the 3rd not to triumph its division, on with 2016 Ohio State and 2017 Alabama. The SEC has had aggregate teams marque the CFP doubly -- including past play erstwhile Georgia bushed Alabama to triumph the nationalist title.

Without a league championship, the Vols volition look greater scrutiny by the enactment committee and volition beryllium banking connected awesome wins against Alabama and LSU to triumph a statement against a Power 5 league champion.

USC (9-1) is present the Pac-12's highest-ranked squad astatine No. 7 aft Oregon mislaid connected Saturday to Washington, dropping the two-loss Ducks to No. 12. The Pac-12 has six teams ranked successful the CFP Top 25 with the summation of No. 23 Oregon State, including 2 successful the apical 10 (USC and No. 10 Utah).

USC tin clinch a spot successful the league rubric crippled connected Saturday with a triumph astatine UCLA, and Oregon volition look Utah successful different crippled that volition assistance find Pac-12 title participants.

TCU clinched a berth successful the Big 12 title crippled with its 17-10 triumph astatine Texas, but the four-loss Longhorns tumbled from No. 18 retired of the CFP Top 25 this week. It helped the Horned Frogs that No. 22 Oklahoma State popped backmost into the ranking this week, giving TCU a 2nd triumph against a ranked opponent, on with No. 15 Kansas State.

There are 3 much rankings, including the merchandise of the last Top 25 connected the Dec. 4 Selection Day. No squad has been ranked extracurricular the committee's apical 10 astatine this constituent successful the play and inactive made the CFP. The lowest was Michigan State successful 2015 and Oklahoma successful 2019, erstwhile some were ranked ninth.

Two-loss Alabama is No. 8 this week, up of one-loss No. 9 Clemson, which volition play No. 13 North Carolina successful the ACC championship.

Following its 38-31 triumph astatine Tulane, No. 20 UCF is the Group of 5 person to gain a bid to a New Year's Six vessel arsenic the highest-ranked league champion, followed by No. 21 Tulane.