6:28 PM
A team from a Group of 5 conference has cracked the top four in the selection committee's rankings, which would guarantee it a spot in one of the two semifinals games on New Year's Eve.
Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama are the top three teams in the latest rankings.
Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma are in the top five. The final rankings will be released on December 5.
Oregon lost 38-7 at Utah on Saturday, which moved the Bearcats up one spot. One of the most impressive performances of the season was by the Bearcats.
I think it's great for our entire team, our community, and our campus. "We stress to the guys that we have a ways to go, but we have a way to go," Cincinnati coach Fickell said on the show. The group that's fought hard all year deserves the excitement about it.
Cincinnati plays at East Carolina on Friday. Houston will play for the American Athletic Conference title on December 4.
Most people don't know that we don't talk about separation. Gary Barta, the athletic director at Iowa, said on the show that the win at Notre Dame continues to look better. They played very well against SMU. The committee felt strongly about Cincinnati.
Cincinnati seemed to be the least respected contender after the first week of the process. The win over the Mustangs was a big change.
"During the week, I thought we had a little more energy, and it was Senior Night, too," Fickell said about the team's preparation for SMU. You never know, trying to figure out the mindset of an 18- to 22-year-old. They had a lot of focus, and it all came to a head.
It was definitely heard by the committee.
Barta said they had a lot of respect for Cincinnati. We had a lot of opinions, but they came in at four.
Barta was asked about the breakdown at Nos. 2 and 3 for the two CFP favorites, the Buckeyes and the Tide.
Both Ohio State and Alabama are great teams. The committee was interested in Ohio State's win over Michigan State and the defense is playing better. When the vote came down, Ohio State was ahead of Alabama.
The committee seems to be following the Irish closely, with Michigan and Notre Dame not far behind.
"Notre Dame has been on a roll all year," Barta said. They are a great team and thought of by the committee.
Cincinnati is the news this week.
Fickell said they try to preach to them to not allow the outside noise to affect them. We try to take their minds off of what other people think they need to do.
After another impressive performance this past weekend, Ohio State moved ahead of Alabama, the defending national champion. The Buckeyes scored in each of their seven first-half possessions. Heading into Saturday's game at Michigan, Ohio State has won nine in a row.
The Alabama team dropped one spot from last week's ranking after another so-so performance in a victory against Arkansas. It was Alabama's second close call in the last three games; it defeated LSU 20-14 at home on Nov. 6.
Michigan State dropped five after ugly losses last week. Utah moved up four spots, and Clemson joined the rankings for the first time after a 48-27 win against Wake Forest.
The UTSA remained in the top 25.
