College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 20
20. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2)
The Case For This Spot: The 11-point win at Baylor and victories over Texas Tech and Texas will be enough to make the top 20. The close-call 43-40 loss to TCU will be a plus, but the 48-0 loss to Kansas State put a hard ceiling on how high the ranking should be.
Win That Matters: Oklahoma State 41, Texas 34
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 0
Up Next: at Kansas
19. Oregon State Beavers (6-2)
The Case For This Spot: The Beavers are under the radar nationally, but the committee should be give them top 20 credit. It took a last moment play for USC to beat Oregon State on the road, the wins over Boise State and Fresno State look great now, and taking down Washington State and Stanford are quietly solid.
Win That Matters: Oregon State 24, Washington State 10
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Utah 42, Oregon State 16
Up Next: at Washington
18. North Carolina Tar Heels (7-1)
The Case For This Spot: The Tar Heels might not play a lot of defense, but the committee will love QB Drake Maye, and the loss to Notre Dame was a decent fight. However, This might not be as high as some might like – there isn’t a strong win among the seven.
Win That Matters: North Carolina 42, Pitt 24
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 32
Up Next: Pitt
17. Kansas State Wildcats (6-2)
The Case For This Spot: The 48-0 win over Oklahoma State was a huge moment for the program, and the wins over Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Missouri, and Iowa State were terrific. The overall strength of schedule is great, but the home loss to Tulane play a role.
Win That Matters: Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 0
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Tulane 17, Kansas State 10
Up Next: Texas
16. Tulane Green Wave (7-1)
The Case For This Spot: This will be one of the bigger debates in the room. This spot for Tulane is a suggestion, but in reality it’ll likely be around 23ish or so. The problem is the home loss to Southern Miss which should be a drag, but beating East Carolina 24-9 looks strong now, and taking down Houston and Memphis aren’t bad. It’s the road win over Kansas State that should get the Green Wave up this high – at least in theory.
Win That Matters: Tulane 17, Kansas State 10
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Southern Miss 27, Tulane 24
Up Next: at Tulsa
College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings 1-131 | Rankings by Conference
AP Poll | Coaches Poll | Predicting CFP Top 25
Bowl Bubble: Bowl eligible teams, who needs a win?