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Crimson Tide roll to No. 1

T.J. Yeldon and Alabama jumped four spots to No. 1 in the new College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night. Previously No. 5, the Crimson Tide rolled former No. 1 Mississippi State 25-20 on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Alabama is the new No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and Mississippi State remains in the top four after losing to the Crimson Tide.

Alabama jumped from fifth to first after handing previously undefeated and top-ranked Mississippi State its first loss Saturday.

Oregon was bumped to second, and unbeaten Florida State now is ranked third. The Seminoles are the only undefeated team left in a Big Five conference.

TCU slipped to No. 5, while Ohio State moved up to No. 6, ahead of TCU’s Big 12 rival Baylor and Mississippi.

UCLA and Georgia rounded out the top 10, respectively.

Selection committee chairman Jeff Long said Alabama controlled the game in its 25-20 victory against Mississippi State enough to earn the big promotion this week.

Alabama led by two scores in the fourth quarter, and Mississippi State cut the lead to five with a touchdown with 15 seconds left.

Long referred to game control a few times this week. It’s not a metric used by the committee but a subjective discussion about how the game was played.

TCU rallied for a 34-30 victory against Kansas, and Long noted how the Horned Frogs’ inability to control the game against struggling teams negatively affected their résumé.

Long also said a second consecutive road victory for Ohio State, this one against Minnesota after beating Michigan State the week before, helped the Buckeyes move up two spots. Still, an early season home loss to Virginia Tech still is a mark against Ohio State.

“While they have certainly added to their résumé and shown they are a better team, it doesn’t erase that loss,” Long said of the Buckeyes.



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