College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 10
10. Ole Miss Tigers (8-1)
The Case For This Spot: To paraphrase what Lane Kiffin asked right after the win over Texas A&M, is Ole Miss 8-1? That’s a good run for an SEC West team no matter what. With wins over the Aggies, Kentucky, and against a Troy team that’s looking dominant defensively, that should be just enough to overcome a blowout loss to LSU to get into the top ten.
Win That Matters: Ole Miss 22, Kentucky 19
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: LSU 45, Ole Miss 20
Up Next: at Alabama
9. UCLA Bruins (7-1)
The Case For This Spot: There will be some who’ll pound their fists on the table for UCLA to be higher. The Bruins losing at Oregon is acceptable, and hanging Utah a ten-point loss to go along with the way the O looks might be enough to push for the top seven. However, there isn’t an amazing win outside of taking down the Utes.
Win That Matters: UCLA 42, Utah 32
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: UCLA 32, South Alabama 31
Up Next: at Arizona State
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
The Case For This Spot: You’re not supposed to bring up other polls or rankings in the room, but … Alabama doesn’t have a victory over a currently ranked team. The committee traditionally gives the Tide EVERY benefit of every doubt – they’ll be close to the top five than this – but the shaky wins over Texas and Texas A&M will matter. While the loss at Tennessee was epic, it exposed the D that much more.
Win That Matters: Alabama 20, Texas 19
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Alabama 24, Texas 20
Up Next: at LSU
7. Oregon Ducks (7-1)
The Case For This Spot: Some in the room will get over the 49-3 loss to Georgia – reasoning it away as the season-opener with the team improving since then – and some might see it as a possible deal-breaker late in the process. Whatever. There was a late score by Washington State, but the Ducks have beaten everyone else by double-digits. That includes a win over UCLA that’s far, far better than anything Alabama – or Ohio State, for that matter – has done.
Win That Matters: Oregon 45, UCLA 30
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Georgia 49, Oregon 3
Up Next: at Colorado
5. Clemson Tigers (8-0)
The Case For This Spot: NC State, at Florida State, Syracuse, at Wake Forest. There might not be a killer win in the bunch, and it hasn’t always been smooth, but there are a whole lot more decent wins – including some fights on the road – than most teams in the top ten have.
Win That Matters: Clemson 51, Wake Forest 45
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Clemson 27, Syracuse 21
Up Next: at Notre Dame
5. TCU Horned Frogs (8-0)
The Case For This Spot: The Horned Frogs keep answering the call. They got by Oklahoma with an amazing offensive performance. They took out Kansas on the road, slipped by Oklahoma State, beat Kansas State by ten, and came up with a better win over West Virginia than it looked.
Win That Matters: TCU 38, Kansas 28
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: TCU 42, SMU 34
Up Next: Texas Tech
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