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By the miracle of all miracles there were not just one Group of Five teams, but two became ranked in the latest College Football Playoff top 25 poll. Boise State is the highest rated team from outside the power conferences at No. 23, Marshall comes in at No. 24 and Colorado State is not ranked.
This means that we now have an answer to who the committee likes from the outsiders and it is Boise State. It is odd to see no Colorado State in the poll since they have just one loss and their strength of schedule is reasonably better than Marshall.
Just a thought, maybe the committee is ranking those in the drivers seat to win their conference from these non-power schools, but just a thought.
It seems after Marshall, the Rams are probably next in line but even if Boise State slips up and Colorado State is in the Mountain West title game, they still might be behind an undefeated Marshall team.
| Rank | Team | Last week | Week 13 result | Toughest opponent left (per F/+) | If the season ended today ... |
| 1 | Alabama (10-1) | 1 | Won 48-14 vs. Western Carolina | Auburn | Sugar Bowl vs. Mississippi State |
| 2 | Oregon (10-1) | 2 | Won 44-10 vs. Colorado | Oregon State | Rose Bowl vs. Florida State |
| 3 | Florida State (11-0) | 3 | Won 20-17 vs. Boston College | Florida | Rose Bowl vs. Oregon |
| 4 | Mississippi State (10-1) | 4 | Won 51-0 vs. Vanderbilt | Ole Miss | Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama |
| 5 | TCU (9-1) | 5 | Idle | Texas | New Year's bowl |
| 6 | Ohio State (10-1) | 6 | Won 42-27 vs. Indiana | Michigan | New Year's bowl |
| 7 | Baylor (9-1) | 7 | Won 49-28 vs. Oklahoma State | Kansas State | New Year's bowl |
| 8 | UCLA (8-3) | 9 | Won 38-20 vs. No. 19 USC | Stanford | New Year's bowl |
| 9 | Georgia (9-2) | 10 | Won 55-9 vs. Charleston Southern | Georgia Tech | Orange Bowl vs. Georgia Tech |
| 10 | Michigan State (9-2) | 11 | Won 45-3 vs. Rutgers | Penn State | New Year's bowl |
| 11 | Arizona (9-2) | 15 | Won 42-10 at No. 17 Utah | Arizona State | |
| 12 | Kansas State (9-2) | 12 | Won 26-20 at West Virginia | Baylor | |
| 13 | Arizona State (9-2) | 13 | Won 52-31 vs. Washington State | Arizona | |
| 14 | Wisconsin (8-2) | 16 | Won 59-24 vs. No. 16 Nebraska | Minnesota | |
| 15 | Auburn (8-3) | 14 | Won 31-7 vs. Samford | Alabama | |
| 16 | Georgia Tech (9-2) | 18 | Idle | Georgia | Orange Bowl vs. Georgia |
| 17 | Missouri (9-2) | 20 | Won 29-21 at Tennessee | Arkansas | |
| 18 | Minnesota (8-3) | 25 | Won 28-24 at No. 23 Nebraska | Wisconsin | |
| 19 | Ole Miss (8-3) | 8 | Lost 30-0 at Arkansas | Mississippi State | |
| 20 | Oklahoma (8-3) | 21 | Won 44-7 vs. Kansas | Oklahoma State | |
| 21 | Clemson (8-3) | 22 | Won 28-0 vs. Georgia State | South Carolina | |
| 22 | Louisville (8-3) | 24 | Won 31-28 at Notre Dame | Kentucky | |
| 23 | Boise State (9-2) | NR | Won 63-14 at Wyoming | Utah State | New Year's bowl |
| 24 | Marshall (11-0) | NR | Won 23-18 at UAB | Western Kentucky | |
| 25 | Utah (7-3) | 17 | Lost 42-10 vs. No. 15 Arizona | Colorado |