Minnesota Football: Gophers ranked No. 8 in second College Football Playoff rankings

The Minnesota Golden Gophers checked in at No. 8 in the latest rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee. The Gophers climbed nine spots after their 31-26 victory over then No. 4-ranked Penn State on Saturday. The committee was thoroughly unimpressed with Minnesota’s resume prior to that victory over the Nittany Lions, slotting the Gophers in at No. 17 behind six two-loss teams in their initial rankings last week.

Ranked ahead of Minnesota, in order, are LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, and Utah. Penn State dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 after their loss to the Gophers. Rounding out the Big Ten are Wisconsin at No. 14, Michigan at No. 15, and Iowa at No. 20.