USC joins Georgia, Michigan, TCU In College Football Playoff

Georgia, Michigan, TCU, and USC are poised to make the College Football Playoff with wins in their conference championship games this weekend after the selection committee unveiled its penultimate rankings Tuesday night.

There was no change at the top, as Georgia (12-0) remained No. 1. But after Michigan (12-0) beat Ohio State 45-23 on Saturday, the Wolverines jumped one spot to No. 2. TCU (12-0) also moved up one spot to No. 3, and USC (11-1) made its first appearance in the top four after the Buckeyes and LSU lost.

Ohio State dropped to No. 5 and now must hope for chaos in the upcoming title games to potentially get an opportunity to make it back into the playoff mix. But much of that will depend on not only the results but how the committee would view an undefeated team that loses in the conference title game because Ohio State will not be playing an extra game. Alabama landed just behind the Buckeyes at No. 6.

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Conference championship weekend could provide little drama if the top four teams win. It all begins Friday night when No. 11 Utah (9-3) and USC play in the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas. Utah handed USC its only loss of the season in October, 43-42, when quarterback Cam Rising ran for a 1-yard touchdown and converted the 2-point conversion attempt with 48 seconds left.

On Saturday, Georgia plays No. 14 LSU (9-3) in the SEC championship game; TCU plays No. 10 Kansas State (9-3) in the Big 12 championship game, and Michigan plays Purdue (8-4) in the Big Ten championship game. The top four CFP teams are favored to win.