10. Arkansas is STILL ranked too low
Arkansas should’ve been in the first round of the College Football Playoff rankings. It might have lost to Auburn, and it also lost at Ole Miss and Georgia – no big whoop. Those were three totally acceptable defeats, and there was one whopper of a win over Texas A&M. It took a victory over Mississippi State to get the Hogs in the top 25 … at 25. They should be in the top 20.
9. We have a Pac-12 team … at least a second one
Oregon was in the first round of College Football Playoff rankings, and also from the Pac-12 was … was … was … yeah. There wasn’t anyone else. Here’s the problem for Oregon. It needs Utah to keep winning, and then it has to get a win, and probably again in the Pac-12 Championship.
Beat Utah twice, and there won’t be any other Pac-12 teams in the top 25, making the Oregon schedule – technically – that much lighter as it tries to hold off Ohio State in the rankings.
8. Texas A&M at 11 is sneaky-interesting
Shhhhhhhhhh, but Texas A&M is more in the College Football Playoff chase than you might think. It has losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State, but that seems like 11 years ago. After beating Alabama, the Aggies have annihilated everyone with wins over Missouri, South Carolina, and with a 20-3 win over Auburn last week.
If it closes out with wins over at Ole Miss, Prairie View A&M, and at LSU, and if Alabama happens to lose once more in the regular season, Texas A&M will play Georgia for the SEC Championship. Win that and things get very, very interesting.
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7. Oklahoma at 8 isn’t a big deal
Most fans understand this, but too many people who know better are making the mistake of thinking Oklahoma needs Cincinnati to lose. No way, no how, NO CHANCE will Oklahoma be left out of the College Football Playoff if it finishes as the 13-0 Big 12 champion. It would be one of – maybe – two unbeaten Power Five champs.
And yeah, if it goes 12-1 with a Big 12 championship – at Baylor, Iowa State, at Oklahoma State, and with, probably, one of them again in the title game to close – it’s probably in, too.
6. Notre Dame at 9 seems a little off
This one might be the biggest process whiff – it doesn’t make sense. The Irish have five wins over Power Five programs, it whacked 18 Wisconsin 41-13 – the final score is misleading, but there’s a scoreboard for a reason – beat Purdue and North Carolina each by ten.
Purdue beat Michigan State, Notre Dame’s only loss is to No. 5 Cincinnati. Since Michigan State beat Michigan, Notre Dame should be No. 6 if the committee was doing this right.