Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, Ohio State stay atop College Football Playoff rankings

The top four spots of the College Football Playoff rankings remained the same for the second consecutive week, but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes were the big winners of the day. 

The Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) unsurprisingly sit atop the rankings once again, followed by Notre Dame (9-0), the Clemson Tigers (8-1) and Ohio State (4-0). 

The 6-1 Texas A&M Aggies and 7-1 Florida Gators also stayed in the top six. 

As Andrea Adelson of ESPN noted earlier in the day, ACC rescheduling coupled with tiebreakers clinched Notre Dame a spot in the conference championship game slated for Dec. 19. As long as Notre Dame takes care of the Syracuse Orange (1-9) this Saturday, the Irish could make the CFP even if they lose in the league title game. 

Also on Tuesday, Ohio State was allowed to resume team activities following a COVID-19 scare that resulted in the cancellation of last Saturday's showdown with the Illinois Fighting Illini. OSU is now preparing to play against the Michigan State Spartans this Saturday before a matchup versus the Michigan Wolverines on Dec. 12. 

Barring the Big Ten canceling 12 of the remaining 14 games on the league calendar, Ohio State must get to six regular-season contests to be eligible to play in the conference championship game. It's unknown if the CFP selection committee would accept the Buckeyes without the Big Ten title on their resume. 

The Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0) checked in at No. 7 in the CFP rankings, while the Georgia Bulldogs (6-2) rose to No. 8.