The season’s first set of College Football Playoff Rankings were released on Halloween night, and teams from North Carolina have the opportunity to shake them up this weekend.
Georgia surprisingly took the top spot in the rankings, ahead of No. 2 Alabama. The Crimson Tide have held the top spot in the AP and Coaches polls all season.
The other two teams currently in position to get bids to the playoff are No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 4 Clemson. In order to remain in their respective positions, each needs to defeat a team from North Carolina on Saturday.
The Irish will host 5-3 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have never beaten Notre Dame, losing in three previous matchups by an average of 22 points.
Wake has played a top-four team twice since the CFP Rankings began in 2014. The Deacs lost to Clemson 33-13 in 2015 and fell to the Tigers again last season, 35-13.
Clemson travels to NC State for the annual Textile Bowl. The Wolfpack nearly spoiled Clemson’s run to the national title last season, missing a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation and losing in overtime.
The Wolfpack are No. 20 in the CFP Rankings. It’s their first-ever ranking in the CFP top 25. The Pack has never faced a top four CFP team before. The other ACC teams in the rankings are No. 10 Miami and No. 13 Virginia Tech.
Should either local team succeed in their upset bid, the next two teams in the poll are No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 6 Ohio State.
