What will the 2020 College Football Playoff top 25 rankings be when the next-to-last round is released on Tuesday night?
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How awesome are the College Football Playoff rankings? Who else uses the word penultimate?
Here’s the last practice exercise – sorry, the penultimate rankings projection – before this gets real on Sunday. Don’t read too much into this week, but how far up will USC move? How far down will Florida fall? This will at least show where everyone stands – sort of – going into the conference championships.
Trying to read the room in Grapevine, Texas …
College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction Top 25 Projection
25. Colorado Buffaloes 4-1
Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 21
The Case For This Spot: Flip a coin between Colorado and Liberty for this spot. The Buffs weren’t awful against Utah in the loss – the 38-21 final score is a bit worse than the game was – but wins over UCLA, Stanford and San Diego State are stronger now.
Up Next: Possible Bowl Game
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24. San Jose State Spartans 6-0
Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: Not Ranked
The Case For This Spot: This might be way, way, way too low. The Spartans are not just 6-0 in what’s turning into one of the best seasons in the program’s history; they’ve won all six by double-digits including a 30-20 performance against Nevada.
Up Next: Boise State (Mountain West Championship)
23. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 5-1
Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 24
The Case For This Spot: There won’t be any real movement after not being able to play Cincinnati last week, but get the job done in the American Athletic Conference Championship, and the Golden Hurricane should be up in the top 15 – at least.
Up Next: Cincinnati (AAC Championship)
22. NC State Wolfpack 8-3
Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 23
The Case For This Spot: Closing out with a four-game winning streak was enough to get the Wolfpack some top 25 love, and now it’s time to move up just a bit.
Up Next: Possible Bowl Game
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-3
Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 24
The Case For This Spot: Destroying Baylor 42-3 will move up the Cowboys a few spots. The losses in three of the last six games will be enough to keep them just outside of the top 20, but they’ll get close.
Up Next: Possible Bowl Game