Georgia takes No. 1 in second CFP rankings as Alabama climbs into the top four

Georgia is No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The committee's second release of the season moved the Bulldogs to the top, and Alabama and UCLA joined them in the top four, CBS Sports reported. Indiana fell five spots during a bye week, according to Yahoo Sports. That opened room near the top for two SEC teams with strong recent form.

Georgia's résumé is easy to follow. The Bulldogs are 8-1, and their two most recent results are their best. They won 42-7 at Ole Miss last week after beating Florida 27-8 the week before. Their only loss was 27-24 at home to Auburn. Their best head-to-head result over the other SEC team in the top four is a 20-17 win at Alabama, and that game goes a long way toward explaining the order the committee chose.

Alabama is 7-2 and has won two straight since a 26-10 loss at Tennessee. The latest was a 31-13 win at LSU. CBS Sports' reaction piece looked at the Crimson Tide's rise and Indiana's drop. For Alabama, the climb comes with two losses already on the record. Each remaining week is a chance to slip, with little room to rise.

Farther down the board, Missouri fell to No. 22, SB Nation's Rock M Nation reported. The Tigers fell to 6-3 after a 34-20 home loss to Texas, and now their schedule sends them straight to the new No. 1.

What it means for Missouri at Georgia

Georgia's first game as the top-ranked team is at home against Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 14, on ABC and Disney+. The season lines point to a mismatch. Georgia has outscored its last two SEC opponents 69-15. All three of Missouri's losses came against ranked teams, and one was a 31-3 defeat at Ole Miss. Georgia handled that same Ole Miss team 42-7 on the road. Missouri's best wins are 45-17 over Florida and 27-6 over Texas A&M, both at home.

The board for the game shows the same gap. Georgia is favored at -669 on the moneyline at Novig, one of 12 venues listing the game, and Missouri is +641 there. On the spread, Novig has Georgia -16.5 at even money (-100). The best Georgia spread anywhere is FanDuel's -15.5 at -110, so that venue asks for a point less. Novig's total is 47.5, and Fanatics has 47. The venues mostly agree here. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline ranges from 3.6% to 6.3%.

Alabama's next test comes the same day, at Vanderbilt on SEC Network. The Crimson Tide are favored at -733 on Novig's moneyline, and FanDuel's -720 is the best price anywhere. Novig has Alabama -16.5 on the spread, and FanDuel has -15.5 at -110. The full prices are on the Alabama at Vanderbilt page.

For both teams, the ranking matters less than the weeks still to play. Georgia's goal is to stay at No. 1. Alabama, with two losses already, has to keep winning to hold its top-four spot.