College Football Playoff Poll

Clemson, South Carolina, and Georgia all climbed in the latest rankings of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday, the final release before the end of the regular season this weekend.  There will be two more updates to the field, culminating in the final reveal of the 12-team College Football Playoff on Sunday, Dec. 8.  Clemson (9-2, 7-1 ACC) was ranked No. 12, three spots ahead of No. 15 South Carolina (8-3, 5-3 SEC) which is riding a conference-best five-game win streak into Saturday’s rivalry game against the Tigers in Death Valley. Clemson climbed five spots, while the Gamecocks moved up three spots after a weekend of upsets across the sport.  Georgia (9-2, 6-2 SEC), which clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game for the seventh time in eight years, is ranked No. 7, up three spots after checking in at No. 10 last week.  The Bulldogs close out the regular season Friday night in Athens against in-state rival Georgia Tech, seeking a seventh straight win in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, which would tie Georgia’s longest such streak in the rivalry.  While the winner Saturday between Clemson and South Carolina isn’t guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff, a loss would effectively serve as an elimination game — especially for the Gamecocks.  Clemson could still conceivably play their way into the CFP even if they lose to the Gamecocks. If Miami were to lose on the road at Syracuse on Saturday (3:30 PM, ESPN), Clemson would face SMU for the ACC Championship in Charlotte next weekend, playing their way into the 12-team playoff by way of winning the league title.  Oregon remains the #1 team in the country.