Top 4 Unchanged in College Football Playoff Rankings With Utah and Oklahoma Right Behind

This season's penultimate College Football Playoff rankings have been released, and they featured a few changes just outside the two pairs of teams in the penthouse.

The top four -- No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Clemson, and No. 4 Georgia -- as expected, are unchanged. Alabama's loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl sent them crashing down from No. 5 to No. 12, and saw Utah jump to No. 5 and Oklahoma in the No. 6 slot.

What the committee is essentially telling us is that, barring an unprecedented turn of events during conference championship weekend, the top three schools are virtual locks to reach the Playoff.

Where things become interesting, however, is the battle for the No. 4 spot. If Georgia were to lose to LSU in the SEC Championship with Utah defeating Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, would the one-loss Utes deserve the nod over the two-loss Bulldogs and their elite resume? Will the voters ultimately be deep in the tank for Alabama, like so many conspiracy theories contend?

And what happens if Oklahoma easily disposes of Baylor in the Big 12 title game? What then?

There are just so many potential outcomes to take into account that you really can't look too much into this week's rankings. There could be seismic shifts in store.

Expect, however, most of the teams outside of the top six -- Baylor, Wisconsin, Florida, Penn State, and Auburn, among others -- to be contending for a date in the New Year's Six.

Strap in, folks, because conference championship weekend could prove lethal to the Playoff hopes of a handful of programs despite terrific regular seasons.