Miami moves to No. 2 behind Alabama in College Football Playoff rankings

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer

Miami’s comeback win over Virginia was good enough to move the Hurricanes into the No. 2 spot in the College Football Rankings.

The Hurricanes fell behind the Cavaliers by 14 points twice on Saturday. After trailing 28-14 in the third quarter, Miami reeled off 30-straight points for a 44-28 win.

Clemson, meanwhile, beat The Citadel in Week 12 and was previously the team just behind No. 1 Alabama. The Tigers are now at No. 3 ahead of No. 4 Oklahoma. The Sooners beat Kansas on Saturday.

Clemson fans shouldn’t worry about their team dropping a spot in the rankings. Sure, the committee might have viewed the Tigers’ win over NC State (who lost to Wake Forest on Saturday) as a little less impressive. But who cares. Clemson and Miami will meet in two weeks in the ACC Championship Game. The winner is making the College Football Playoff. It’s that simple.

Undefeated Wisconsin and two-loss Auburn remained at Nos. 5 and 6. It’s pretty simple to say that the winner of this upcoming Saturday’s Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn will be in the top four of next week’s rankings. The victor will play Georgia for the SEC title in two weeks and the winner of the SEC is undoubtedly going to be in the playoff.

Miami runs onto the field before an NCAA college football game Against Virginia, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami runs onto the field before an NCAA college football game Against Virginia, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami’s move was the only movement within the top 10 of the rankings. Mississippi State curiously moved to No. 14 ahead of Central Florida, who is undefeated. The Bulldogs needed a touchdown with just seconds to go to beat Arkansas on Saturday.

Next week’s rankings are the final rankings before the official version on Dec. 3. The post-championship week rankings will determine the four playoff teams and also decide who will play in the other New Year’s Six bowl games.

1. Alabama
2. Miami
3. Clemson
4. Oklahoma
5. Wisconsin
6. Auburn
7. Georgia
8. Notre Dame
9. Ohio State
10. Penn State
11. USC
12. TCU
13. Washington State
14. Mississippi State
15. Central Florida
16. Michigan State
17. Washington
18. LSU
19. Oklahoma State
20. Memphis
21. Stanford
22. Northwestern
23. Boise State
24. South Carolina
25. Virginia Tech

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!