3 minSports
UCLA reaches No. 4 in College Football Playoff rankings, its highest ever
UCLA climbed to No. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the highest position in the program's CFP history, as Georgia took the top spot and Notre Dame and Utah moved up.
UCLA rose to No. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday, Nov. 10, the highest position the Bruins have held since the CFP began. The team is 9-0 this season and sits within a major reshuffle at the top of the poll, where several contenders lost ground after losses or tough results.
Georgia moved to No. 1 with an 8-1 record after a 42-7 win at Ole Miss. The Bulldogs had lost to Auburn in October, but the committee's latest ordering put them ahead of the rest of the field. Utah is No. 2 at 9-0, while Alabama is No. 3 at 7-2 following a 31-13 win over LSU. Texas is No. 6 at 7-2, and Tennessee is No. 8 at 7-2 after beating Kentucky, which is now ranked No. 11.
Notre Dame moved up six spots to No. 5 at 8-1 after beating No. 1 Miami, a result that ended the Hurricanes' undefeated run. Miami fell six spots to No. 7 at 8-1. Tennessee had already beaten Alabama 26-10 earlier this season, a result that did not keep the Crimson Tide from a top-three placement.
Committee chair Hunter Yurachek defended Alabama's No. 3 spot, pointing to the team's record strength and schedule strength. Alabama was placed in the top subgroup of the ranking, while Tennessee was not, a distinction the committee weighed in its ordering. The explanation underscores how the committee assesses resumes beyond win-loss records alone.
Indiana fell five spots to No. 9 after its recent results, and BYU is No. 10 after losing on the road to Utah. Oregon rose seven spots to No. 16 following a 41-28 win over Ohio State. Ohio State dropped eight spots to No. 20 after back-to-back losses, a sharp fall for a program that had been in the playoff conversation. Ole Miss also slid nine spots to No. 19 after its loss to Georgia.
USC climbed to No. 18 with a 7-2 record, while Boise State is No. 24 at 8-1 and Oklahoma State is No. 25 at 6-3. For UCLA, the ranking marks a new high-water mark in a program that is now positioned among the most closely watched contenders as the regular season moves toward its final weeks. The rankings set the field for the playoff race, and the coming games will determine how the committee's ordering evolves.
Source: latimes.com
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