The Gophers freefell 10 spots in the College Football Playoff rankings announced Tuesday.
From No. 8 to No. 18 within a week, the Gophers (10-2) are now the lowest-ranked Big Ten team in the poll. No. 1 Ohio State, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 10 Penn State, No. 14 Michigan and No. 16 Iowa all rank ahead of them.
Wisconsin climbed four spots after blowing out the Gophers 38-17 this past weekend at TCF Bank Stadium, earning a spot in Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State in Indianapolis.
In the penultimate CFP rankings, AP poll leader LSU remained at No. 2, defending national champion Clemson at No. 3 and Georgia at No. 4. Fifth-ranked Utah and sixth-ranked Oklahoma are the teams looking to sneak in to the national semifinals after the conference championship games this weekend.
Georgia faces LSU in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday in Atlanta and will secure a spot in the four-team playoff with a victory. Utah takes on No. 13 Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday in Santa Clara, Calif., and No. 6 Oklahoma plays No. 7 Baylor on Saturday in the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington, Texas.
The final rankings, along with all the bowl announcements, will come out Sunday.
MEGAN RYAN
