Days from their showdown in the Pac-12 championship, both Washington and Oregon climbed one spot Tuesday in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings — moves made possible by Ohio State’s tumble.
The Buckeyes dropped from No. 2 to No. 6 after their loss to Michigan, allowing four teams to backfill.
Michigan moved to second, Washington to third, Florida State to fourth and Oregon to fifth. Once again, the Ducks (11-1) are the highest one-loss team, ahead of Texas and Alabama, in addition to Ohio State.
“Oregon has continued to dominate,” selection committee chair Boo Corrigan said. “They have continued to impress the committee with the offense and defense.”
Arizona held its ground in the No. 15 position after the Wildcats’ sixth consecutive victory. Oregon State was the fourth and final Pac-12 team in the rankings, slipping to 20th after the decisive loss to Oregon.
Corrigan was asked by ESPN whether the committee considered how Oregon and seventh-ranked Texas fared against a common opponent.
Oregon beat Texas Tech by one touchdown early in the season; UT beat the Red Raiders by 50 last week.
“We look at everything,” Corrigan said.
Washington is assured of a berth in the playoff if the Huskies win the conference title — the committee wouldn’t dare leave out a 13-0 conference champion.
But if Oregon wins the Pac-12 title, the situation could get tricky.
If Alabama defeats Georgia in the SEC championship, the selection committee might be left to choose between the 12-1 Ducks, with a conference title, and the 12-1 Bulldogs, with no conference title but a sterling reputation and a litany of impressive wins.
Either way, the Pac-12 is well positioned to claim two berths in the New Year’s Six bowl lineup, which includes the semifinals (Rose and Sugar) and four other games (Peach, Orange, Cotton and Fiesta).
The windfall would be substantial: CFP participants receive $6 million, while teams in the New Year’s Six collect $4 million.
The cash would be split equally among all Pac-12 members, per conference rules on revenue sharing.
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