College Football Playoff rankings: Who are the top four teams in fourth CFP poll of 2021?

Zac Al-Khateeb

College Football Playoff rankings: Who are the top four teams in fourth CFP poll of 2021? image

Two more top-10 teams in contention for the College Football Playoff lost on Saturday, creating yet more work for the selection committee. Well, sort of.

While the committee was forced to reshuffle the rankings after the losses of No. 3 Oregon (38-7 to No. 23 Utah) and No. 7 Michigan State (56-7 to No. 4 Ohio State), those outcomes actually created a more streamlined top 25 in the final weeks of the season.

HEISMAN TROPHY WATCH: C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young in front?

The selection committee no longer has to explain why No. 6 Michigan ranked ahead of Michigan State, despite the Spartans' head-to-head victory over the Wolverines. Nor do they need to worry about where to rank Oregon, which beat Ohio State in Week 2, well before the Buckeyes' resurgence. The only actual problem created from Saturday's slate of games wasn't even a problem at all: Where to rank Alabama in relation to Ohio State.

The committee chose to push the Buckeyes ahead of the Crimson Tide in the latest rankings. That decision ultimately won't matter, considering Alabama must face No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship game. A win there would give Nick Saban and Co. the top overall seed. A loss would eliminate the Tide from championship contention.

The committee will pay close attention to "The Game" and Bedlam in Week 13, two rivalry games that feature 10-1 opponents in Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. That will further clear up the playoff picture, the final rankings for which are quickly approaching.

With that, here are the top 25 teams in the latest CFP rankings:

TOP-10 LOSSES: Michigan State | Oregon

College Football Playoff rankings 2021

Who are the top four CFP teams of fourth CFP poll of 2021?

RankingTeamRecord
1Georgia11-0
2Ohio State10-1
3Alabama10-1
4Cincinnati11-0

Who are the first two teams out of fourth CFP poll of 2021?

RankingTeamRecord
5Michigan10-1
6Notre Dame10-1

MORE: Latest AP Top 25, Coaches Poll rankings

CFP top 25 rankings from fourth CFP poll of 2021

RankTeamRecord
1Georgia11-0
2Ohio State10-1
3Alabama10-1
4Cincinnati11-0
5Michigan10-1
6Notre Dame10-1
7Oklahoma State10-1
8Baylor9-2
9Ole Miss9-2
10Oklahoma10-1
11Oregon9-2
12Michigan State9-2
13BYU9-2
14Wisconsin8-3
15Texas A&M8-3
16Iowa9-2
17Pittsburgh9-2
18Wake Forest9-2
19Utah8-3
20NC State8-3
21San Diego State10-1
22UTSA11-0
23Clemson8-3
24Houston10-1
25Arkansas7-4

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.