College Football Playoff Rankings: Pre-Championship Weekend

The College Football Playoff Committee released its penultimate rankings on Tuesday and the Florida Gators are now No. 9 in the country.

The top four teams remain unchanged with all four teams winning their final games convincingly. The big shakeup came with Alabama, who lost to Auburn in the Iron Bowl. The Tide dropped from No. 5 all the way to No. 12.

Another good sign for the Gators’ chances at making a New Year’s Six bowl game is Minnesota’s tumble from No. 8 to No. 18. This is paving the way for the Gators to make a New Year’s Six Bowl game — either the Orange Bowl or the Cotton Bowl. There is also a scenario where Georgia beats LSU in the SEC Championship game and both of those teams still end up in the playoff, which, right now, would send Florida to the Sugar Bowl.

1. Ohio State (12-0)
2. LSU (12-0)
3. Clemson (12-0)
4. Georgia (11-1)
5. Utah (11-1)
6. Oklahoma (11-1)
7. Baylor (11-1)
8. Wisconsin (10-2)
9. Florida (10-2)
10. Penn State (10-2)
11. Auburn (9-3)
12. Alabama (10-2)
13. Oregon (10-2)
14. Michigan (9-3)
15. Notre Dame (10-2)
16. Iowa (9-3)
17. Memphis (11-1)
18. Minnesota (10-2)
19. Boise State (11-1)
20. Cincinnati (10-2)
21. Appalachian State (11-1)
22.USC (8-4)
23. Virginia (9-3)
24. Navy (9-2)
25. Oklahoma State (8-4)

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC