College Football Playoff rankings: the Cougs slip to No. 23 following loss to Colorado|Wash St Hot Topics|Team BattleGround|College BattleGround

The 38-24 loss to the Buffs in Boulder cost the Cougs one spot in the rankings ahead of the Apple Cup against the Huskies.

After two small gains in the first weeks of the College Football Playoff rankings, the Washington St. Cougars’ first loss in more than two months has dropped them a spot to No. 23. The 38-24 loss in Boulder is what the CFP considers a “good loss”, considering the Colorado Buffaloes ranking at No. 9 this week which helped keep the Cougs in the top-25.

Ahead of their annual rivalry meet up, the Washington Huskies jumped one spot to No. 5, thanks in large part to the Louisville Cardinals’ blow out loss against the Houston Cougars 36-10, dropping them to No. 11.

The USC Trojans made easy work of their rival UCLA Bruins last weekend as Clay Helton’s squad continues their late season surge, now up to No. 12. The Stanford Cardinal moved nowhere in the rankings following their retention of The Axe in Berkeley last weekend, staying at No. 24.

The Utah Utes, meanwhile, plummeted following an embarrassing 30-28 loss at home to the struggling Oregon Ducks, down from No. 12 all the way to No. 22. That loss combined with Colorado’s win means the Utes can only play spoiler to the Buffs this weekend and vault the Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship.

Here’s the rest of the top-6: 1. Alabama Crimson Tide 2. Ohio State Buckeyes 3. Michigan Wolverines 4. Clemson Tigers 5. Washington Huskies 6. Wisconsin Badgers.

What do you think of this week’s rankings?