Alabama’s playoff chances appeared to improve significantly on Tuesday.

The Crimson Tide passed Miami in the second-to-last rankings. Alabama (9-3) sits at No. 11, one spot ahead of Miami (10-2) at No. 12. If the rankings didn’t change before Sunday, Alabama would take the final overall spot in the 12th-team playoff against the Hurricanes.

Ohio State fell to No. 6 after losing at home to Michigan in Week 14. Oregon remained at No. 1, followed by Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Georgia. The Bulldogs are the top-ranked team with two losses.

Byes in the first round

1.Oregon

2.Texas

3. SMU

4. Boise State

The Broncos are five spots ahead of the Big 12’s top-ranked team in Arizona State. If Boise State beats No. 20 UNLV on Friday night, it would likely stay ahead of the Big 12 champion Sun Devils or No. 16 Iowa State for the final first-round bye.

Boise State could even move up to No. 3 if Clemson beats SMU for the ACC title. The Tigers are ranked 17th behind the two Big 12 schools.

First round matches

No. 12 Arizona State and No. 5 Penn State

No. 11 Alabama at No. 6 Notre Dame

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Georgia

No. 9 Tennessee and No. 8 Ohio State

These matchups are likely to change before the final rankings on Sunday. Penn State plays Oregon for the Big Ten title, while Georgia plays Texas for the SEC title. Either the two teams provisionally hosting first-round games will receive byes, or their seedings could be adjusted accordingly.

Both Notre Dame and Ohio State appear to be hosting first-round games regardless of what happens on championship weekend. Both teams will not play on Saturday.

Neither do Alabama and Miami. That’s why it looks like the Crimson Tide have an advantage over the Hurricanes, which could mean the final spot in the playoff field.

However, this place is by no means guaranteed. If Clemson beats SMU in the ACC title game, will the committee drop the Mustangs behind one or both teams? In this scenario, if SMU stays ahead of both Alabama and Miami, it will still be in the playoffs.

Alabama vs. Miami

Alabama’s jump is the most significant step the committee has made all season. So far, the team has generally been risk-averse in its rankings, ranking teams based on their win-loss record. A week ago, Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina were tied in the rankings as the Gamecocks lost to both teams.

Now Miami is ahead of Ole Miss and South Carolina, but not Alabama. Why?

Maybe it has something to do with the Hurricanes’ leaky defense. Miami blew a 21-0 first-half lead against Syracuse in Week 14. Miami has had to escape some close games this season. While Cam Ward and the Miami offense were great, they weren’t a complete team.

Alabama wasn’t dominant either. But CFP Committee Chairman Warde Manuel said Tuesday evening that Alabama’s rigorous schedule was a reason for the move.

“Alabama is 3-1 against current top 25 teams, Miami is 0-1,” Manuel said.

That one loss in Miami was suffered by Syracuse. Alabama’s wins are over Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri. The loss came to Tennessee.

However, Alabama’s other two losses came to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. The latter loss occurred in Week 13 and was particularly gut-wrenching. Oklahoma finished the season 6-6 and defeated Alabama 24-3. Miami’s other loss comes against a Georgia Tech team that took Georgia to eight overtimes on Black Friday.

Fair or not, Alabama’s push against Miami will spark a week-long dialogue about claims of SEC bias and is sure to upset the ACC. Just look at what the conference tweeted hours before the rankings.

Right now, it’s clear the committee doesn’t believe Miami deserves it. Will that change by Sunday? It seems unlikely, but we can’t rule it out completely.

1. Oregon (12-0)

2. Texas (11-1)

3. Penn State (11-1)

4. Notre Dame (11-1)

5. Georgia (10-2)

6. Ohio State (10-2)

7. Tennessee (10-2)

8. SMU (11-1)

9. Indiana (11-1)

10. Boise State (11-1)

11. Alabama (9-3)

12. Miami (10-2)

13. Ole Miss (9-3)

14. South Carolina (9-3)

15. Arizona State (10-2)

16. Iowa State (10-2)

17. Clemson (9-3)

18. BYU (10-2)

19. Missouri (9-3)

20. UNLV (10-2)

21. Illinois (9-3)

22. Syracuse (9-3)

23. Colorado (9-3)

24th Army (10-1)

25. Memphis (10-2)