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College Football Playoff rankings: Washington slides into top four

N.Nguyen3 months ago

College football's historic crop of undefeated teams continues to defy the odds, as Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Washington and Florida State all maintain their perfect marks heading into rivalry weekend.

Unsurprisingly, this group of five also keeps their place atop the College Football Playoff Committee's latest top 25 rankings, released Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

WHAT TO KNOW: CFP rankings full schedule, release dates

Before breaking down the latest poll, here are the full CFP rankings:

eorgia11-012Ohio State11-023Michigan11-034Washington11-055Florida State11-046Oregon10-167Texas10-178Alabama10-189Missouri9-2910Louisville10-11011Penn State9-21212Ole Miss9-21313Oklahoma9-21414rizona8-31716Oregon State8-31117Iowa9-21618Notre Dame7-31319Kansas State8-32120Oklahoma State8-32321Tennessee7-41822NC State8-3NR23Tulane10-12424Clemson7-4NR25Liberty11-0NR

Three new teams enter

A triad of Southern newcomers has surged into the top 25 rankings in NC State, Clemson and Liberty. A disappointing start to the 2023 campaign has been largely forgotten in Raleigh, with NC State winning its fourth game on the bounce this past weekend as they held off a furious fightback from Virginia Tech to claim a quality 35-28 road win. The stage is set for one of the bigger Carolina-State rivalry games in recent history, with both teams entering the weekend with an 8-3 record and NC State rising to 22 in the CFP poll.

Losing narrowly to the aforementioned Wolfpack in Week 9, Clemson has rebounded admirably after reaching the .500 mark. The Tigers knocked off then-No. 17 Notre Dame in dominant fashion on the road before besting top-half ACC foes Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Sneaking in at 25, Liberty's perfect run finally caught the attention of the CFP committee and the Flames can clinch a 13-0 record with wins over UTEP and New Mexico State.

Washington improves playoff hope

Braving both a hostile Corvallis crowd egged on by Pat McAfee and a torrential downpour, Washington managed to outlast then-No. 11 Oregon State this past weekend and earn their way into fourth place in the College Football Playoff Committee's rankings. At the Huskies' expense, Florida State slips down into the fifth spot after trouncing North Alabama but lost star quarterback Jordan Travis for the season to a lower-leg injury.

Both teams will watch the action in Ann Arbor intently, hoping to pass the loser in the rankings, before taking on in-state rivals later in the afternoon.