Well, Tuesday night’s rankings will be very interesting now that both Ole Miss and Alabama have three losses. The best guess here is 10-1 Indiana will fall from No. 5 to No. 10, one spot behind 10-1 SMU and ahead of the 9-3 Rebels and 9-3 Tide, putting the Hoosiers in line for one of the last at-large spots.
The ACC has a great shot now at two at-large berths. I have SMU losing to Miami in the conference championship game but remaining in the field. Keep an eye on 9-2 Clemson as well. Should the Tigers beat 8-3 South Carolina next week, they might pose a threat to Indiana. The Gamecocks, at 9-3, would get a strong push from SEC country, but I’m not sure how you rank them above Bama and Ole Miss — who both beat South Carolina — if they have the same record.
Finally, I may be in the minority, but I’m skeptical a 12-1 Mountain West champ Boise State would remain above 11-2 Big 12 champ Arizona State/Iowa State. In fact, don’t be surprised if the Sun Devils jump from No. 22 to within shouting distance of the Broncos — who beat a 2-9 Wyoming team 17-13 on Saturday — this week coming off their win over No. 14 BYU. I would not feel the same about BYU or Colorado.
Fun fact: If ASU does get the No. 4 seed, it will play a local quarterfinal game at the Fiesta Bowl.
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
