Ole Miss landed in the No. 6 spot in the latest College Football Rankings on Tuesday, an unexpected rise that came just one day after Lane Kiffin stunned the program by leaving for LSU.
According to The Associated Press, the Rebels’ climb unfolded as the top of the leaderboard remained unchanged. Ohio State and Indiana held firm at No. 1 and No. 2. Georgia moved into the third slot, and Texas Tech continued its ascent to No. 4.
Rounding out the top 12 were Oregon, Mississippi, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Notre Dame, BYU, and Miami. One of the most surprising moves came from Alabama and Notre Dame flipping positions, with the Tide rising to No. 9 and the Irish slipping to No. 10 — despite matching 10-2 records.
The selection committee releases its final rankings Sunday, following a weekend stacked with conference championship games that will determine the five automatic qualifiers for the 12-team playoff field. The postseason opens Dec. 19 and culminates a month later with the title game outside Miami.
Committee chair Hunter Yurachek acknowledged the debate surrounding Alabama and Notre Dame’s reshuffling was unusually intense.
He called it “one of the strongest debates we’ve had in the room since I became a member of the committee.”
Yurachek pointed to Alabama’s gritty 27-20 win over Auburn on Saturday as a key factor in its jump. Stanford — the team Notre Dame handled 49-20 — didn’t offer as strong a résumé boost.
“That was enough to change the minds of a couple committee members,” he said.
The shift strengthens Alabama’s path to the playoff even if it falls to Georgia this weekend in the SEC title game, which would saddle the Tide with a third loss.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, suddenly finds itself in dangerous territory despite a 10-game winning streak. Miami, stuck at No. 12 even after opening the season with a win against the Irish, remains just as vulnerable.
Another notable development came at No. 25, where James Madison cracked the rankings ahead of unranked Duke. That single move could reshape the playoff race. If both teams win their conference title games — Duke in the ACC, James Madison in the Sun Belt — the Dukes could claim the ACC’s automatic bid.
Automatic berths go to the five highest-ranked conference champions, with no guarantees for any Power 4 league. The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 are expected to secure three of those spots. The American Athletic Conference, with No. 20 Tulane and No. 24 North Texas meeting Friday, appears poised for another.
That leaves the final automatic slot up for grabs between the ACC and the Sun Belt, with James Madison and Troy battling Friday for a chance to upend the entire bracket.
