Washington moved ahead of Florida State and into College Football Playoff position, coming in fourth in the rankings on Tuesday night.
The selection committee’s top three remained the same, with Georgia first and followed by Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan.
What You Need To Know
- Undefeated Washington bounces unbeaten FSU from a College Football Playoff spot
- Georgia remains at No. 1, with Ohio State second and Michigan at No. 3
- CFP Chairman Boo Corrigan said the Huskies' win over Oregon State was the reason they moved up
- The Seminoles also won but lost quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending leg injury
The Buckeyes and Wolverines face off Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the winner advancing to the Big Ten championship game.
Washington had been stuck in fifth for the first three weeks of the rankings behind FSU, but the Huskies added another victory against a ranked team last week when they won at Oregon State.
Now fifth-ranked Florida State stayed unbeaten, too, though the Seminoles lost quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending left leg injury.
“It really was about Washington and what Washington did this weekend,” selection committee chairman Boo Corrigan said on ESPN.
Oregon was sixth, Texas seventh and Alabama eight for the fourth consecutive week.
Missouri was ninth and Louisville 10th for the second straight week.
There are only two more rankings left. The final comes Dec. 3, when the field for the four-team playoff is set.
Travis’ injury could create a conundrum for the committee, which is instructed to consider how losing a key player affects a team. Travis is a Heisman Trophy contender and one of the most important players in the country.
He was seriously injured in the first quarter against North Alabama, a Football Championship Series team, but FSU went on to win easily with backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker stepping in.
Rodemaker, a fourth-year player, completed 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns. He has five touchdown passes and no interceptions in 31 passes this season.
“Didn’t shock anybody that was on our team because we’ve seen him do that before,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said earlier this week about Rodemaker. “It’s the same message that I’ve had for them for however many, three years now. You get your opportunity, just go be you. I’ve got the utmost confidence in what he’ll do.”
Corrigan said Travis’ injury had no impact on FSU’s ranking this week.
“That’s what the next couple of weeks are going to be about,” said Corrigan, who is the athletic director at North Carolina State. “The key is not projecting what it will be the following week.”
Any projection of what FSU will be without Travis would come after all of its games have been played and it’s time to determine which four teams play for the national title.
“After the (conference) championship games, we can look at who’s going to be available and who’s not going to be available,” Corrigan said.
The Seminoles play in-state rival Florida on Saturday and then will face Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game on Dec. 2 in Charlotte, N.C.