A weekend that was supposed to be a quiet precursor to Rivalry Week turned out to scare multiple teams in contention for the College Football Playoff — and deliver an impactful loss to a top-five team.
That team is Tennessee, which was run out of Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., after the Gamecocks whipped them 63-38. The Volunteers needed only to beat South Carolina and Vanderbilt in Weeks 12 and 13 to make the Playoff. Now at two losses, Tennessee — which also lost Hendon Hooker to injury — will watch with the rest of college football.
Vols fans can take cold comfort in the fact several top teams struggled on Saturday, though No. 10 Utah — which lost to No. 12 Oregon — is the only other top-10 team to have lost in Week 12. Each of No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 TCU had close victories against largely inferior competition.
Indeed, Michigan and TCU needed last-second go-ahead field goals to beat Illinois and Baylor, respectively. Those "struggle wins" opened up the possibility for a reshuffled top four — before Tennessee's loss, that is.
MORE: College football rankings: Projecting 2022 Playoff picture
Here's how those games and more affected the latest rankings from the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll:
College football rankings for Week 13
Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Georgia | 11-0 | 1,545 (59) |
| 2 | Ohio State | 11-0 | 1,484 (1) |
| 3 | Michigan | 11-0 | 1,420 (2) |
| 4 | TCU | 11-0 | 1,372 |
| 5 | USC | 10-1 | 1,277 |
| 6 | LSU | 9-2 | 1,229 |
| 7 | Alabama | 9-2 | 1,147 |
| 8 | Clemson | 10-1 | 1,142 |
| 9 | Oregon | 9-2 | 1,004 |
| 10 | Penn State | 9-2 | 990 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 9-2 | 950 |
| 12 | Washington | 9-2 | 855 |
| 13 | Kansas State | 8-3 | 761 |
| 14 | Utah | 8-3 | 703 |
| 15 | Notre Dame | 8-3 | 657 |
| 16 | Florida State | 8-3 | 562 |
| 17 | North Carolina | 9-2 | 496 |
| 18 | UCLA | 8-3 | 483 |
| 19 | Ole Miss | 8-3 | 429 |
| 20 | Tulane | 9-2 | 386 |
| 21 | Cincinnati | 9-2 | 376 |
| 22 | Oregon State | 8-3 | 257 |
| 23 | Coastal Carolina | 9-1 | 222 |
| 24 | Texas | 7-4 | 112 |
| 25 | UTSA | 9-2 | 70 |
Others receiving votes: UCF 41; Troy 39; South Carolina 38; Pitt 17; Wake Forest 16; Iowa 15; Louisville 9; Boise State 9; South Alabama 8; Illinois 8; Air Force 6; Purdue 5; Washington State 3; Liberty 3; Georgia Tech 2; Mississippi State 1.
MORE: College Football Playoff ranking schedule, release dates for 2022
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Georgia | 11-0 | 1,574 (62) |
| 2 | Ohio State | 11-0 | 1,507 (1) |
| 3 | Michigan | 11-0 | 1,446 |
| 4 | TCU | 11-0 | 1,395 |
| 5 | USC | 10-1 | 1,293 |
| 6 | LSU | 9-2 | 1,241 |
| 7 | Clemson | 10-1 | 1,152 |
| 8 | Alabama | 9-2 | 1,131 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 9-2 | 1,058 |
| 10 | Oregon | 9-2 | 1,009 |
| 11 | Penn State | 9-2 | 994 |
| 12 | Washington | 9-2 | 879 |
| 13 | Notre Dame | 8-3 | 710 |
| 14 | Utah | 8-3 | 709 |
| 15 | Kansas State | 8-3 | 697 |
| 16 | Florida State | 8-3 | 589 |
| 17 | UCLA | 8-3 | 562 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 9-2 | 464 |
| 19 | Tulane | 9-2 | 441 |
| 20 | Ole Miss | 8-3 | 395 |
| 21 | Cincinnati | 9-2 | 353 |
| 22 | Oregon State | 8-3 | 271 |
| 23 | Coastal Carolina | 10-1 | 186 |
| 24 | Texas | 7-4 | 128 |
| 25 | UCF | 8-3 | 87 |
Others receiving votes: UTSA 85; South Carolina 44; Troy 34; Boise State 16; Illinois 12; Iowa 5; Louisville 5; South Alabama 3; Mississippi State 3; Oklahoma State 2; Arkansas 2; Purdue 2; Fresno State 1.
