The Missouri Tigers are 8-2 on the season, ranked No. 11 in the AP poll, and No. 9 in the CFP rankings. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

The third College Football Playoff rankings of the 2023 season were released Tuesday evening and the University of Missouri moved up five spots from No. 14 to No. 9, after a dominating 36-7 win over then-No. 13 Tennessee, last Saturday at Faurot Field.

The new ranking is the first time Missouri has ever appeared in the CFP Top 10. The previous high was the No. 12 Mizzou received on October 31, following the Tigers’ win over South Carolina and before it played No. 1 Georgia.

Missouri is 8-2 on the year, with wins over two teams that were ranked in the AP Top 15 and are currently in the CFP Top 25 this season (Kansas State and Tennessee).

The Tigers have two games left in the regular season. They’ll play Florida in their home finale, this Saturday in a game on ESPN at 6:30 p.m., then they’ll go on the road to play Arkansas, next Friday on CBS at 3 p.m.

If Mizzou wins both those games and heads into the postseason with a 10-2 record, it is very likely the Tigers will be chosen to play in one of the New Year’s Six bowl games.

The Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl will serve as the CFP semifinal games this year, leaving the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Peach Bowl as the others potentially available to select Mizzou.

There’s still a lot yet to be determined, but Tuesday night’s CFP reveal couldn’t have gone any better for Mizzou. The Tigers were the highest ranked team with two losses, which means if they don’t lose either of their final two, it’s not likely that anyone else with two losses would surpass Mizzou.

But also, several of the one loss teams have difficult games left — at least games they may not be favored to win heading in. So that might mean Missouri has a real shot at moving up the rankings and leaving no doubt it deserves to be one of the New Year’s Six teams.

Things will begin on Saturday, when Mizzou hosts its Senior Day game against Florida.

College Football Playoff Rankings for the Week of November 14:

1. Georgia (10-0)

2. Ohio State (10-0)

3. Michigan (10-0)

4. Florida State (10-0)

5. Washington (10-0)

6. Oregon (9-1)

7. Texas (9-1)

8. Alabama (9-1)

9. Missouri (8-2)

10. Louisville (9-1)

11. Oregon State (8-2)

12. Penn State (8-2)

13. Ole Miss (8-2)

14. Oklahoma (8-2)

15. LSU (7-3)

16. Iowa (8-2)

17. Arizona (7-3)

18. Tennessee (7-3)

19. Notre Dame (7-3)

20. UNC (8-2)

21. Kansas State (7-3)

22. Utah (7-3)

23. Oklahoma State (7-3)

24. Tulane (9-1)

25. Kansas (7-3)