College Football Playoff Ranking: TCU holds at Number 4

The College Football Playoff Committee released its rankings for the fourth time this season on Tuesday night, with the TCU Horned Frogs again placing at #4. There were losses throughout the Top 25, with all of the top teams getting scares of varying degrees, while one-time contenders Tennessee and North Carolina dropped out of the Playoff race. The ranking almost exactly as we projected, although the Committee did keep LSU ahead of USC, despite the Trojans securing a big-time win over UCLA while the Tigers have two losses on the season. Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan are the teams ahead of the Horned Frogs, with the Top 10 rounded out by LSU, USC, Alabama, Clemson, Oregon, and Tennessee.

In addition to the Horned Frogs, the Big 12 was represented in the Top 25 this week with Kansas State and Texas. The Wildcats jumped up three spots to #12 with its win in Morgantown and close the season at home against in-state rival Kansas Jayhawks to close the regular season, where a win would put K-State into the Big 12 Championship game against the Frogs. The Longhorns jumped back into the rankings after a week away, sneaking in at #23 after a blowout win in Lawrence. Texas would need a win over Baylor on Friday and a KSU loss on Saturday to book a spot in Arlington.

As the Horned Frogs continue to remain undefeated this deep into the season, its odds have improved in the marketplace to both reach the Playoff and emerge as National Champion. At DraftKings Sportsbook, TCU now holds the 4th best odds to win the Title, at +1800, trailing Georgia (-140), OSU (+230), and Michigan (+1000). The Frogs are also now slight favorites to reach the Playoff, at -145 to be in the Final Four, vs. +125 to be left behind. Interestingly, TCU is only a -140 favorite to win the Big 12 Conference, indicating that perhaps there is a slim chance the Frogs could lose in Arlington and still make the Playoff.

There is now only one rankings release show, Tuesday November 29th at 6PM, before the final Playoff announcement is made on Sunday December 4th at 11AM.