Oregon top 4 newcomer in 2nd playoff ranking

Mississippi State, Florida State and Auburn held the top three spots in the second College Football Playoff rankings, with Oregon joining them in the top four Tuesday night.

Marcus Mariota and the Ducks, coming off a 45-16 win over Stanford, moved up one spot from fifth in the initial poll by the 12-member selection committee. They moved in ahead of Alabama, which moved up one place to fifth.

Mississippi dropped seven spots to 11th after its second consecutive loss, 35-31 to Auburn. The Rebels remained ahead of four one-loss teams from power-five conferences, directly ahead of Baylor, Nebraska and Ohio State – Nos. 12-14, and all higher than a week ago.

Auburn is the highest ranked of the 12 one-loss teams in the poll that will determine the semifinals, and set matchups for the other four marquee New Year’s Day bowls that are part of the playoff rotation.