College Football Playoff: Ohio State remains atop rankings, Utah moves to fifth

Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The Ohio State Buckeyes kept their top spot and Utah moved up to No. 5 in this week's edition of the College Football Playoff rankings.

The selection committee announced the fifth of six sets of rankings Tuesday night on ESPN. The remainder of the top four remained the same, with No. 2 LSU followed by Clemson at No. 3 and Georgia at No. 4 entering this weekend's conference championship games.

Following Alabama's loss to Auburn on Saturday, the Crimson Tide fell from fifth to No. 12 in the CFP rankings. Nick Saban and Alabama will miss the playoff for the first time since its inception in 2014 after the team's second loss of the season.

Utah and Oklahoma each took advantage of the Crimson Tide's defeat. The Utes jumped to fifth ahead of their matchup against No. 13 Oregon in Friday night's Pac-12 title game. The Sooners, fresh off a victory over Oklahoma State, moved up to No. 6.

After Minnesota's loss to Wisconsin, Baylor leaped two spots to No. 7 entering Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma. Wisconsin (No. 8), Florida (No. 9) and Penn State (No. 10) rounded out the top 10.

The final set of College Football Playoff rankings, which will reveal the New Year's Six teams and set the four-team field for the playoff, will be released Sunday.

The 2019-20 College Football Playoff semifinals will take place Dec. 28. The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is scheduled for Jan. 13 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

Full College Football Playoff rankings:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0)

2. LSU Tigers (12-0)

3. Clemson Tigers (12-0)

4. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1)

5. Utah Utes (11-1)

6. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1)

7. Baylor Bears (11-1)

8. Wisconsin Badgers (10-2)

9. Florida Gators (10-2)

10. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2)

11. Auburn Tigers (9-3)