With only four weeks left, college football teams battle for spots in the 12-team playoff

The GIST: The third of six College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings was released yesterday, bringing with it some serious shakeups for the SEC despite the top five teams holding steady. With the new expanded 12-team playoff format and only four weeks left, it’s crunch time for resume-building wins.

Georgia plays itself back into the field: A CFP without perennial powerhouse Georgia would feel wrong, and the Bulldogs certainly agree. They upset then-No. 7 Tennessee 31–17 on Wednesday to sneak back into the 12-team field in the No. 10 spot. Phew.

• Meanwhile, Tennessee finds itself just outside the playoff and in fourth place in their conference. It’s pure chaos in the SEC, with four two-loss teams vying for third place.

BYU stays in playoff picture despite first loss: Sunday’s upset at the hands of unranked Kansas certainly hurt BYU’s resume, plummeting them from No. 7 to No. 14 in the AP poll. The loss wasn’t enough to boot them from the playoffs, but it did cost them their bye, which now sits with Boise State and Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty who jumped into the No. 4 playoff spot this week.

Indiana stays winning: Indiana is off to a perfect 10-0 start — the best start in program history, and the first time the Hoosiers have recorded double-digit wins in a season. Their hot launch has the squad holding down the No. 5 spot in the national rankings

• If Indiana can upset Ohio State this weekend, a top 4 rankings leap (and a first-round bye) could be in the cards.

• And the Hoosiers are winning off the field, too. Head coach Curt Cignetti is going to be in Bloomington for a while after inking an eight-year $72M contract. Huge.