UCLA jumps to No. 11 in College Football Playoff rankings

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Could UCLA sneak back into the College Football Playoff after all?

The Bruins’ chances are still slim, but after beating Washington on the road last Saturday, they vaulted seven spots to No. 11 in the latest selection committee rankings. That puts a team that many had left for dead back in mid-October at least potentially in line for a “New Year’s Six” bowl.

Obviously, UCLA still needs to win out to clinch a spot in the final four — as well as hope for a few other dominoes to fall just right. It will need Arizona State to lose at least one game (possibly at Arizona on Nov. 28), and then pull an unlikely upset against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship.

But if the Sun Devils win out and shut the Bruins out of the conference title game entirely, the latter could be well positioned to climb into a premier postseason game. UCLA has to be considered a favorite over both USC and Stanford given its recent improvement, and could stand at 10-2 at the end of the month.

If the Ducks then blow out ASU at Levi’s Stadium, a selection committee that clearly thinks highly of the Pac-12 could decide that the Bruins are more worthy of an at-large bid to the Fiesta Bowl.