Wolverines rank fourth in latest CFP rankings

LSU slips only to 7th

after second loss;

Ohio State is 10th

Associated Press

Michigan moved into the fourth spot of the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night, behind Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame.

Georgia was next at five, followed by Oklahoma.

The playoff picture cleared up after a weekend where several contenders asserted themselves. The top-four teams in the final rankings Dec. 2 will play in the national semifinals.

The Crimson Tide easily dispatched LSU from the top four, beating the Tigers 29-0. LSU, though, only dropped to No. 7 after its second loss, ahead of Washington State, West Virginia and Ohio State — all with only one loss.

Unbeaten Notre Dame moved up one spot to No. 3, and Michigan jumped a spot after a 42-7 victory against Penn State.

Assuming the top three unbeaten teams would get in by winning out, here are the paths to the playoff.

No. 4 Michigan (8-1)

The Wolverines have to feel good about controlling their path to the playoff. Winning out, including at Ohio State, puts Jim Harbaugh’s team at 12-1 with a Big Ten title. That’s a resume with victories against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Penn State, and a seven-point road loss to Notre Dame. One loss and Michigan is out, right? Not so fast. Take a quick glance at the rankings and notice how many highly ranked teams still have to play each other. It won’t take more than one or two mild upsets to have the selection committee sifting through a bunch of two-loss teams to fill the final playoff spot. Figure the ones with conference championships will have the edge.

No. 5 Georgia (8-1)

Simple: Win out, get in. Oh, and beat Alabama. The good news for the Bulldogs is beating Alabama to win the SEC championship would almost certainly make up for a second regular-season loss.

No. 6 Oklahoma (8-1)

UCLA did the Sooners no favor by being terrible and depriving Oklahoma of a quality nonconference victory. Still, the Sooners are probably the Big 12’s best bet to win an argument against a one-loss Big Ten champion or Notre Dame with one loss. Maybe.

No. 9 West Virginia (7-1)

The weather did the Mountaineers no favor by forcing the cancellation of West Virginia’s game at North Carolina State in September. To get to 11-1 and a Big 12 title could mean two victories over Oklahoma in consecutive weekends.

No. 10 Ohio State (8-1)

The Buckeyes found out last season that getting hammered by a team that finished the regular season 7-5 is deal-breaker with the committee when it comes time to make a tough choice. Ohio State could win out — beating Michigan State and Michigan along the way — and get in. But that’s a long way from certain considering the Buckeyes are the lowest ranked one-loss team.