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Washington State falls to No. 13 in College Football Playoff rankings

Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew calls a play against Washington during the first half Friday at Martin Stadium in Pullman. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

PULLMAN – The Cougars fell five spots to No. 13 in the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings and appear to be on the outside looking as it relates to securing a New Year’s Six bowl berth.

Washington State came into the Apple Cup ranked No. 8 in the CFP poll, but the Cougars absorbed a 28-15 loss to Washington Friday at Martin Stadium and dropped out of the top 10 of the rankings, revealed Tuesday on ESPN’s College Football Playoff show.

UW’s sixth consecutive win over WSU in the rivalry series moved the Huskies up five spots to No. 11 in the rankings.

To earn a spot in one of the prestigious New Year’s Six bowl games – the Peach, the Orange, the Fiesta, the Cotton, the Sugar or the Rose – a team must be ranked inside the top 12 of the CFP poll. All five Power Five conference champions receive automatic bids, leaving seven more openings.

WSU (10-2, 7-2) dropped below four teams with three losses – Florida, LSU, Washington and Penn State – and may require Memphis to beat UCF in the AAC championship game to climb back into the top 12.