The College Football Playoff Committee released their second set of rankings on Tuesday night, with the Clemson Tigers remaining atop the poll for the second straight week.
The Tigers (9-0, 6-0 ACC) defeated #16 Florida State (7-2, 5-2 ACC) by a score of 23-13 on Saturday night, as they clinched the Atlantic Division and secured a spot in the ACC Championship in December. They are joined in the playoff positions with second-ranked Alabama, third-ranked Ohio State, and the ACC’s red-headed stepchild, Notre Dame, at number four.
There were two other conference teams represented in the second poll of the season, but not the same duo as a week ago. Florida State, despite losing to top-ranked Clemson, remained respectable in defeat and therefore they were able to remain at number 16 in the latest released poll. Meanwhile, North Carolina (8-1, 5-0 ACC) has made their first appearance of the season at #23, replacing the Duke Blue Devils, the team that they blew out 66-31 on Saturday. In addition to finally receiving respect from the committee for their record to date, the Tar Heels have put themselves in perfect position to be the Coastal Division opponent to #1 Clemson in the ACC Championship in a few weeks, as they sit undefeated in conference play heading into their Week 11 match-up on Senior Day in Chapel Hill against Miami.
The full updated CFP ranking can be found below, with the conference teams outlined in bold.
CFP Rankings
1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Iowa
6. Baylor
7. Stanford
8. Oklahoma State
9. LSU
10. Utah
11. Florida
12. Oklahoma
13. Michigan State
14. Michigan
15. TCU
16. Florida State
17. Mississippi State
18. Northwestern
19. UCLA
20. Navy
21. Memphis
22. Temple
23. North Carolina
24. Houston
25. Wisconsin
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