college football playoff projection

College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Committee Should Rank The Top 25, Week 2

College Football Playoff rankings – How should the committee rank the next top 25?

The second College Football Playoff rankings of 2022 will come out Tuesday night, November 8th. How should the committee put together the top 25?

The College Football Playoff committee didn’t do a horrible job with the first round of rankings.

There might have been a misfire when it came to the Pac-12 teams – USC was too high, UCLA too low – and there are a few other minor tweaks, but putting Tennessee No. 1 was the right move at the time, and it all was relatively fine from there.

Remember, the College Football Playoff rankings are a snapshot of the moment until the final batch. The committee goes through each spot pick by pick debating the merits of all the teams available, and in the end the top 25 was at least thought out, even if it doesn’t always seem right.

And then it’s all wiped away and everything starts from scratch the next week.

Since the committee obviously doesn’t have the Pac-12 Network and hasn’t actually watched USC’s defense or most of the late night games – I’m joking, of course … sort of – I’ll give everyone a little bit of help.

Go here for what we expect the next round of rankings to be. Here’s how the College Football Playoff committee should put together the top 25.

College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, November 8

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25. UCF Knights (7-2)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 25

The Case For This Spot: The 41-19 win over SMU looks better and better, the win over Cincinnati was great, and getting by Memphis on the road offsets an ugly 34-13 loss to East Carolina a little bit. Don’t worry about this ranking. Beat Tulane this week, go on to win the AAC championship, get a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl.

Win That Matters: UCF 25, Cincinnati 21

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: East Carolina 34, UCF 13

Up Next: at Tulane

24. Liberty Flames (8-1)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: This will be interesting. How much credit does Liberty get for beating Arkansas? Heck, Texas A&M did that, too. The 37-36 loss to Wake Forest is good, and the 41-14 win over BYU is great, but there’s a TON of fluff on the slate to get up to eight wins.

Win That Matters: Liberty 21, Arkansas 19

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Liberty 21, Gardner-Webb 20

Up Next: at UConn

23. Kansas State Wildcats (6-3)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 13

The Case For This Spot: The committee putting Kansas State six spots ahead of Tulane – the Green Wave won 17-10 in Manhattan – was sort of wrong, but that will be changed this week. Losing at TCU isn’t bad, and dropping a date to Texas is okay. Blowouts over Missouri and Oklahoma State are enough to keep the Wildcats from falling too far, but they shouldn’t be in the top 20.

Win That Matters: Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 0

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Tulane 17, Kansas State 10

Up Next: at Baylor

22. Texas Longhorns (6-3)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 24

The Case For This Spot: Basically, the College Football Playoff committee watched the Alabama game, saw Texas beat Oklahoma 49-0, and it seems like it didn’t notice much else. The Oklahoma State loss a few weeks ago now looks really, really rough, and losing to Texas Tech isn’t okay. However, beating Kansas State should be enough to bump up closer to the top 20. Beat TCU this week, and Texas will prove to be as good as the CFP thinks it is.

Win That Matters: Texas 34, Kansas State 27

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Texas Tech 37, Texas 34

Up Next: TCU

21. Washington Huskies (7-2)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: Since the committee proved last week that it doesn’t watch the Pac-12, it might miss that the Huskies have been very, very shaky. However, the win over Oregon State – then ranked 23rd in the CFP – was a good one, losing at UCLA was fine, and beating Michigan State is okay. The loss to Arizona State hurts, but beat Oregon this week, and the ranking shoots up.

Win That Matters: Washington 39, Michigan State 28

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Arizona State 45, Washington 38

Up Next: at Oregon

NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 20

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College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Committee Should Rank The Top 25

The first batch of College Football Playoff rankings are coming out Tuesday night. How should the committee rank the top 25?

The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2022 will come out Tuesday night, November 1st. How should the committee rank the top 25?

College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, November 2

The College Football Playoff committee will release its first round of rankings on Tuesday night.

It’ll spend the day debating the merits of each of the 25 spots, there will be a few arguments, and the spread of delightful meats, cheeses, and other snacks will be adequate.

I know, because I’ve been through the process in Grapevine, Texas. I know how this works, and I know how this should all go.

And I know that this group could use a little bit of help.

These rankings are meticulous. The committee will debate the merits of the teams that should be in the No. 25 slot, come to an agreement, and then go to 24, then 23, and so on. There’s a proprietary stat system to help the cause, strength of schedule matters, and after all the data and all the facts, this group will still mostly go by the old eye test.

Remember …

1. This is just an exercise. It’s practice, and not really. The College Football Playoff committee is doing this to get up to speed, generate national interest, and provide ESPN some sweet programming candy for those who need a break from the World Series. However, it’s like practicing for a Par 3 hole for some tournament without knowing the distance or configuration needed because …

2. If precedent holds, go unbeaten or 12-1, win your Power 5 championship, and you’re in. The only time that didn’t get you into the CFP was in 2018 when 12-1 Ohio State was left out for 12-0 Notre Dame. No way, no how, no chance an unbeaten Power Five team is left out, so Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, TCU, and Clemson win out and you’re in.

3. There aren’t any rules. The committee can pick anyone it wants to. And …

4. RELAX after these first rankings, and the second version, and the third. All that matters is that final top 25 that comes out after the conference championships.

For now, the goal here is to break down how the committee needs to put together this first batch of rankings. I’ll be fair and go by what they like, which means big wins matter more than losses, and there won’t be enough credit given to a good loss over a strong team.

So here’s how the College Football Playoff committee should put together the top 25 rankings.

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25. UCF Knights (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: The Knights took control of the race to get the New Year’s Six bowl slot as the top Group of Five champion with a great win over Cincinnati. Rolling by Georgia Tech helps, and the loss to Louisville isn’t that bad. The East Carolina loss will bring down the ranking.

Win That Matters: UCF 25, Cincinnati 21

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: East Carolina 34, UCF 13

Up Next: at Memphis

24. Liberty Flames (7-1)

The Case For This Spot: The only loss was in a 37-36 fight at Wake Forest. There isn’t a win over a Power Five program, and there aren’t many great victories over anyone who’ll do much on the bowl scene, but 7-1 at this point is 7-1.

Win That Matters: Liberty 41, BYU 14

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Liberty 21, Gardner-Webb 20

Up Next: at Arkansas

23. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: The great battle in the 51-45 win over Clemson will do the job for the committee’s eye test, but the turnover-fest loss to Louisville last week was a killer. Beating Florida State matters, and giving Liberty its only loss is a big deal.

Win That Matters: Wake Forest 31, Florida State 21

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Louisville 48, Wake Forest 21

Up Next: at NC State

22. NC State Wolfpack (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: The losses to Clemson and Syracuse were acceptable in the ACC big picture, and the wins over Florida State and Texas Tech will be just enough to put the Pack safely in the top 25. However, there are too many close call wins over mediocre teams.

Win That Matters: NC State 19, Florida State 17

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Syracuse 24, NC State 9

Up Next: Wake Forest

21. Syracuse Orange (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: The Orange might struggle to push for the top 20 with a slew of injuries – that matters to the committee – but a blowout win over Louisville and victories over NC State and Purdue were strong. The close fight against Clemson will be a boost.

Win That Matters: Syracuse 24, NC State 9

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Notre Dame 41, Syracuse 24

Up Next: at Pitt

NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 20

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College Football Playoff Rankings: Helping The Committee With The Top 25

The first batch of College Football Playoff rankings are coming out Tuesday night. How should the committee rank the top 25?

The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2021 will come out Tuesday night, November 2nd. How should the committee rank the top 25?

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College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20
Predicting the first CFP Top 25
College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s alive?

The College Football Playoff rankings season is finally here.

The committee will get together, there will be snacks, they’ll do what they do – all without the slightest bit of transparency – and then the top 25 will be unveiled.

Finally, these are the rankings that matter … sort of. This is all just a fun exercise until the final College Football Playoff rankings come out right after the conference championships.

I’ve been in the room in Grapevine, Texas, I’ve been through the process, and I’ve worked with this operation and know how this group makes the sausage. For all the criticism, and hollering, and anger from the fan bases, start with this …

The process is meticulous, and everyone is 100% totally sincere in trying to create the best ranking possible.

This isn’t like the other ranking systems that are thrown together on a late Saturday night. The committee debates and discusses each and every one of the spots, starting at 25 all the way down to No. 1. There will be mistakes, and there will be inconsistencies, but at the very least there’s a rationale behind every slot.

No, there is no agenda like some think there is. They legitimately want the four best teams in the College Football Playoff, no matter what.

Now, is this silly that college football bases its playoff system on the whims of a panel of judges? Of course. But for now, this is what we’ve got.

I’m going to tell the College Football Playoff committee what the top 25 should be – by the way, it’s beyond ridiculous that there’s no media member or someone who follows college football for a living on the panel.

Before getting going and before these come out for real, remember …

1. These rankings are just a snapshot. They’re thrown out and done all over again next week.

2. There aren’t any rules. The committee can pick anyone it wants to. And …

3. And I can’t stress this enough, DON’T GET INTO A TWIST over the rankings. Again, wait until the entire season is done. At that point the committee cares about two things – did you win your Power Five conference championship, and did you do it with no more than one loss? That’s the baseline for everything else.

These isn’t the prediction and projection of the first round of College Football Playoff rankings – that’s this. This is me telling the committee what to do – no, this group hasn’t seen all the teams and all the games because they have real lives and jobs that actually matter.

I do, however, try to keep this within the framework of how the commitee rolls. It LOVES big wins, and while it doesn’t punish losses to great teams, it doesn’t give enough credit to Team A for playing Alabama on the same day that Team B played Central Cupcake Tech.

One last thing – the committee uses its own proprietary stat system. Other rankings and other metrics don’t exist in their world.

So if I may be so forward, College Football Playoff committee, this is what your first top 25 should be.

College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, November 2

25. Pitt Panthers (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: There actually isn’t anything that great to point to, and the 44-41 loss to Western Michigan is an anchor, but there’s something to be said for being the first team since 2014 Georgia Tech to beat Clemson by double-digits in the regular season.

The Panthers also won at Tennessee, and the wins at Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech are good enough to matter.

Win That Matters: Pitt 27, Clemson 17

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Western Michigan 44, Pitt 41

Up Next: at Duke

24. Houston Cougars (7-1)

The Case For This Spot: Here’s the deal I’ll make with you, College Football Playoff committee. I’ll indulge your love of rewarding teams with one big win – Houston just handed SMU its first loss of the season – if you’ll at least listen to my argument about 17, 19, and 20.

The Cougars lost to Texas Tech by 17 and haven’t beaten anyone other than an SMU team that beat absolutely no one other than a bad TCU.

Win That Matters: Houston 44, SMU 37

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Texas Tech 38, Houston 21

Up Next: at USF

23. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: There’s enough there with wins over Iowa State and Maryland on the road and the home victory over Penn State to put the Hawkeyes somewhere in the top 25.

However, the offense is bad when the defense isn’t taking the ball away, and losing to Purdue and Wisconsin by a combined score of 51-14 over the last two weeks is the sort of trend-down thing the committee doesn’t dig.

Win That Matters: Iowa 23, Penn State 20

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Purdue 24, Iowa 7

Up Next: at Northwestern

22. Wisconsin Badgers (5-3)

The Case For This Spot: The Badger offense has been BRUTAL at times, but the committee is going to give credit to the nation’s No. 1 defense – at least statistically – against, technically, one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

The losses to Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State will be slightly forgivable, and the wins over Army, Purdue, and Iowa will trend the team up just enough that it should slip into the top 25.

Win That Matters: Wisconsin 27, Iowa 7

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Penn State 16, Wisconsin 10

Up Next: at Rutgers

21. Fresno State Bulldogs (7-2)

The Case For This Spot: This is my ultra-pretentious How Much Does The College Football Playoff Committee Actually Know test, Part 1

Fresno State lost at Hawaii – which in and of itself is always a quirky road game, finishing about 3 am ET – but it was way banged up before getting a two-week break. The other loss? At Oregon 31-24.

That loss, though, to the Rainbow Warriors with a backup quarterback is enough to put Fresno State a bit lower. However, it just handed San Diego State its first loss of the season, and it beat a fabulous Nevada team the week before that. Throw in the win over UCLA on the road, and this is a sneaky-good top 20ish team.

Win That Matters: Fresno State 30, San Diego State 20

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Hawaii 27, Fresno State 24

Up Next: Boise State

NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done – Top 20

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College Football Playoff Rankings Projection, Final Top 25 Prediction

What will the College Football Playoff rankings be on Sunday? Here’s the final projection and top 25 prediction.

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What will the College Football Playoff rankings be on Sunday? Here’s the best guess.

Okay, so we’re here. It’s top for the College Football Playoff final top 25 rankings to come out, and it’s time to finally know who gets to play in the big four-team tournament. The best projection and top 25 prediction is …

25. NC State Wolfpack 8-3 (22)

The eight wins stand out. It was the only team to beat Liberty, it hung tough with Miami, and it ended up being one of the five or six beat teams in the ACC.

24. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 6-2 (23)

The 27-24 loss to Cincinnati should be enough to earn more respect than this, but the loss to Oklahoma State to start the season will be what keeps the Golden Hurricane down this far. It was still a magnificent year.

23. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-3 (21)

The Cowboys died down the stretch … sort of. They lost three of their last six games and beat up the Big 12’s bad teams, but they won’t bounce out of the top 25 after being firmly in it the week before.

22. Texas Longhorns 6-3 (20)

Texas deserves a better ranking than this. The loss at home to TCU hurts, but the other losses were to Oklahoma and Iowa State, and all three defeats were this close to going the other way.

21. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 9-1 (19)

Louisiana gets the shaft in all of this. It beat Iowa State, the one loss is to unbeaten Coastal Carolina, and there wasn’t a chance to prove that it might actually be the Sun Belt’s best team with the rematch with the Chanticleers called off.

20. USC Trojans 5-1 (13)

There weren’t any great wins, and the loss to Oregon was devastating. Had USC won in a blowout in the Pac-12 Championship, it would’ve had an interesting case for the fourth spot considering ow everything shook out.

19. Oregon Ducks 4-2 (NR)

This will tidy everything up. The losses to Oregon and Oregon State won’t exactly be brushed aside, but what amounted to a road win at USC for the Pac-12 champion will move the Ducks up hither than the Trojans to make it all easy to put everything in order.

18. Miami Hurricanes 8-2 (18)

This might be a little low. The blowout loss to North Carolina still hurts, but wins over NC State and Pitt are solid, and the 31-14 victory over Conference USA champion UAB looks a lot better now.

17. BYU Cougars 9-1 (17)

The Cougars are off to the Boca Raton Bowl to face UCF after a very fun and very exciting season. There aren’t a ton of massive wins, but there are enough good ones to be ranked a bit higher than this. It doesn’t matter – the Cougars are already settled into a bowl game.

16. Iowa Hawkeyes 6-2 (16)

The losses to Purdue and Northwestern happened to start the season, but a six-game winning streak to close things out was impressive. However, there wasn’t a win over anyone with a winning regular-season record. Even so, there were enough good victories to be in the top 16.

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15. North Carolina Tar Heels 8-3 (15)

The Tar Heels were impressive enough against Miami last week to hang around the top 15, and the loss to Notre Dame wasn’t awful. The losses to Florida State and Virginia might push the Tar Heels lower, but nothing much happened to knock the team down too much.

14. San Jose State Spartans 7-0 (24)

Call this a wish ranking, because it’s the right thing to do. San Jose State not only went unbeaten with a Mountain West Championship, but it won all seven games by double-digit. Beating Nevada and Boise State should help earn the Spartans top 15 consideration.

13. Northwestern Wildcats 6-2 (14)

The Cats fought the good fight in the Big Ten Championship loss to Ohio State, and the win over Iowa now looks terrific, but the loss to Michigan State stings. It was a terrific season to get to the second Big Ten title game in three years.

12. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 11-0 (12)

The committee still won’t get this right. It should put one-loss Louisiana ahead of Iowa State – the Ragin’ Cajuns beat the Cyclones – but it’ll get the unbeaten Chanticleers up higher since it’s the one team that beat the team that beat the team. There will be some call that they should be in the top ten, but being this high will be terrific.

11. Indiana Hoosiers 6-1 (11)

It’s going to be one of the biggest drama aspects of the rankings – will Indiana get ahead of Iowa State to be in the New Year’s Six? There’s no fantastic win, but there also aren’t the three losses like the Cyclones have.

NEXT: College Football Playoff Final Projection, Top 25 Prediction

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College Football Playoff Top 25: Penultimate Rankings. Who’s Sneaking Up?

The results from the penultimate round of the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, released December 15th.

The results from the penultimate round of the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, released December 15th.

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25. Colorado Buffaloes 4-1 (NR)

24. San Jose State Spartans 6-0 (NR)

23. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 5-1 (24)

22. NC State Wolfpack 8-3 (23)

21. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-3 (24)

20. Texas Longhorns 6-3 (20)

19. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 9-1 (19)

18. Miami Hurricanes 8-2 (10)

17. BYU Cougars 9-1 (18)

16. Iowa Hawkeyes 6-2 (16)

15. North Carolina Tar Heels 8-3 (17)

14. Northwestern Wildcats 6-1 (14)

13. USC Trojans 5-0 (15)

12. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 11-0 (13)

11. Indiana Hoosiers 6-1 (12)

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10. Oklahoma Sooners 8-2 (11)

9. Cincinnati Bearcats 8-0 (8)

8. Georgia Bulldogs 7-2 (9)

7. Florida Gators 8-1 (6)

6. Iowa State Cyclones 8-2 (7)

5. Texas A&M Aggies 7-1 (5)

4. Ohio State Buckeyes 5-0 (4)

3. Clemson Tigers 9-1 (3)

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-0 (2)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 10-0 (1)

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College Football Playoff Top 25 Prediction: What Will The Penultimate Rankings Be?

What will the 2020 College Football Playoff top 25 rankings be when the next-to-last round is released on Tuesday night?

What will the 2020 College Football Playoff top 25 rankings be when the next-to-last round is released on Tuesday night?

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How awesome are the College Football Playoff rankings? Who else uses the word penultimate?

Here’s the last practice exercise – sorry, the penultimate rankings projection – before this gets real on Sunday. Don’t read too much into this week, but how far up will USC move? How far down will Florida fall? This will at least show where everyone stands – sort of – going into the conference championships.

Trying to read the room in Grapevine, Texas …

College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction Top 25 Projection

25. Colorado Buffaloes 4-1

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 21

The Case For This Spot: Flip a coin between Colorado and Liberty for this spot. The Buffs weren’t awful against Utah in the loss – the 38-21 final score is a bit worse than the game was – but wins over UCLA, Stanford and San Diego State are stronger now.

Up Next: Possible Bowl Game

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24. San Jose State Spartans 6-0

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: This might be way, way, way too low. The Spartans are not just 6-0 in what’s turning into one of the best seasons in the program’s history; they’ve won all six by double-digits including a 30-20 performance against Nevada.

Up Next: Boise State (Mountain West Championship)

23. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 5-1

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 24

The Case For This Spot: There won’t be any real movement after not being able to play Cincinnati last week, but get the job done in the American Athletic Conference Championship, and the Golden Hurricane should be up in the top 15 – at least.

Up Next: Cincinnati (AAC Championship)

22. NC State Wolfpack 8-3

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 23

The Case For This Spot: Closing out with a four-game winning streak was enough to get the Wolfpack some top 25 love, and now it’s time to move up just a bit.

Up Next: Possible Bowl Game

21. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-3

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 24

The Case For This Spot: Destroying Baylor 42-3 will move up the Cowboys a few spots. The losses in three of the last six games will be enough to keep them just outside of the top 20, but they’ll get close.

Up Next: Possible Bowl Game

NEXT: Top 20 College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction

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Florida Loses To LSU: What Does It Mean For The College Football Playoff? Who’s The Big Winner?

LSU beat Florida 37-34 in one of the biggest shockers of 2020. What does it all mean for the College Football Playoff? Who’s the big winner?

LSU beat Florida 37-34 in one of the biggest shockers of the season. What does it all mean for the College Football Playoff? Who’s the big winner?

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

LSU hit its kick, Florida didn’t, and it turned into a shocking 37-34 Tiger win to throw the College Football Playoff situation into a tailspin.

So …

What Does It All Mean For Florida?

Florida is out of the College Football Playoff.

Maybe.

There might be a way the Gators could slide on into the CFP if they annihilate Alabama in the SEC Championship, and if Notre Dame blows out Clemson in the ACC Championship and/or Northwestern shocks Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.

No, Cincinnati isn’t getting in, and no, a two-loss Big 12 champion wouldn’t get in over a two-loss Florida that beats the one of ones in Alabama.

The Gators blew it. All they had to do was win this against a mediocre-to-bad LSU, and the CFP was there for the taking against Bama. That’s all but gone.

The big winner is …

The ACC.

Florida’s loss all but locks Notre Dame into the College Football Playoff no matter what – check that; barring some 41-3ish wipeout, and then things get crazy – and it allows for Clemson to possibly sneak in at the 4 seed if it loses to the Irish in a replica of the earlier season classic.

Notre Dame’s big fear was a loss to Clemson, an Ohio State win, and a Florida upset over Alabama. If that happened, the Irish would’ve almost certainly have been out. That’s off the table now.

– Week 15 Scoreboard, Results, Predictions

The other big winner is …

Texas A&M.

The Aggies need to clear up the traffic ahead of them, and that included Florida – even though the Gators, because they controlled their own destiny, were a spot lower in the College Football Playoff rankings.

They still have that win over Florida, so now they need 1) Florida to beat Alabama in a close game – making that win over the Gators to be that much stronger, and/or 2) Notre Dame to obliterate Clemson – knocking out a two-loss Tiger team – and/or 3) a Northwestern win over Ohio State.

It’s not an easy path, but the Florida loss takes away the likelihood of it being Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and Ohio State or Notre Dame if the Gators beat Bama.

Besides the ACC and Texas A&M, the other big winner is …

USC.

No, it’s not going to happen, but with the big comeback win over UCLA, the Trojans are still somewhat alive in the College Football Playoff hunt.

It would take a whole lot of minor miracles, and a philosophical debate in the CFP committee room, but there still might be some love and respect thrown USC’s way if Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State win to make it possible for four unbeaten Power Five champs to be in.

Florida losing makes it easy to move USC up from 15 to around 9ish – at least there will be some movement.

Besides Florida, the big loser is …

The SEC.

The conference had a chance of getting two teams into the College Football Playoff, but now it’ll likely be just one.

More than that, though, the SEC Championship becomes a bit of an exhibition. Alabama is in the College Football Playoff as long as it doesn’t get destroyed, and Florida winning probably doesn’t matter.

What does it all mean for the College Football Playoff?

Actually … nothing.

The original projection was that Florida was going to lose to Alabama and go to the Orange Bowl. The bigger change is that it’s going to be against North Carolina and not Miami playing in Hard Rock Stadium.

If the Gators don’t go to the Orange, they’re still going to end up in a New Year’s Six game, and so will Georgia and Texas A&M. All three were originally likely to be in, anyway.

So after all of that, the original call still stands. Assume it’s Alabama vs. Notre Dame in the Sugar, and Ohio State and Clemson in the Rose.

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College Football Playoff Rankings: Alabama Still No. 1, Iowa State Moves Way Up

The results from the third round of the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, released December 8th

The results from the third round of the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, released December 8th.

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25. Missouri Tigers 6-3 (NR)

24. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 6-1 (24)

23. NC State Wolfpack 8-3 (NR)

22. Oklahoma State Cowboys 6-3 (15)

21. Colorado Buffaloes 4-0 (NR)

20. Texas Longhorns 6-3 (20)

19. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 9-1 (25)

18. BYU Cougars 9-1 (13)

17. North Carolina Tar Heels 7-3 (17)

16. Iowa Hawkeyes 5-2 (19)

15. USC Trojans 4-0 (20)

14. Northwestern Wildcats 5-1 (14)

13. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 10-0 (18)

12. Indiana Hoosiers 6-1 (12)

11. Oklahoma Sooners 8-2 (11)

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10. Miami Hurricanes 8-1 (10)

9. Georgia Bulldogs 7-2 (8)

8. Cincinnati Bearcats 8-0 (7)

7. Iowa State Cyclones 8-2 (9)

6. Florida Gators 8-1 (6)

5. Texas A&M Aggies 7-1 (5)

4. Ohio State Buckeyes 5-0 (4)

3. Clemson Tigers 9-1 (3)

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-0 (2)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 9-0 (1)

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College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings Prediction: What Will Round 3 Be On Tuesday?

What will the 2020 College Football Playoff top 25 rankings be when the third round is released on Tuesday night?

What will the 2020 College Football Playoff top 25 rankings be when the third round is released on Tuesday night?

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Just a few more of these to go, and this week should be relatively easy.

Remember, as always, the committee is giving its thoughts for right now, and not projecting for when the final rankings come out. Wait and see what happens after the conference championships, but for this week, there should be a whole lot of movement down low, a whole lot of new teams in the middle, and not much going on up top.

These are College Football Playoff ranking predictions. This isn’t how we’d do it – that’s what the CFN rankings are for – this is us projecting what they’ll be.

We’re trying to read the room.

College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction Top 25 Projection

25. Wisconsin Badgers 2-2

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: 16

The Case For This Spot: There really isn’t any, other than that the defense is No. 1 in the nation in a few categories and the wins over Illinois and Michigan were totally dominant. This is the Not A Lot Of Other Options No. 25 token ranking.

Up Next: at Iowa

24. Liberty Flames 9-1

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: The only loss was to a decent NC State team by one in the final moments on a blocked kick. The wins over Virginia Tech and Syracuse aren’t great, but they’re stronger than what a whole lot of other teams on this list have done.

Up Next: Possible Bowl Game

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23. NC State Wolfpack 8-3

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: It was a very quietly nice season with a four-game winning streak to close things out. The Wolfpack aren’t going to pass any eye test, but they handed Liberty its only loss, and they’ll get some great for a 44-41 fight against Miami.

Up Next: Possible Bowl Game

22. Texas Longhorns 6-3

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: 69-31 over Kansas State on the road. It was silly that the Longhorns were dropped out of the top 25 last week after a tight 23-20 loss to an Iowa State team that the committee loves with an undying passion, and now they’re back in after a blowout in Manhattan.

Up Next: at Kansas

21. North Carolina Tar Heels 7-3

Last Week College Football Playoff Ranking: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: There are warts. The loss to Florida State is unforgivable, and losing to Virginia hurts, but the committee’s version of the eye test should work, the performance against Notre Dame was solid, and there are enough wins to get the Heels just up against the top 20.

Up Next: at Miami

NEXT: Top 20 College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction

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College Football Playoff Rankings: Who Made The Big Move In The 2nd CFP Top 25?

The results from the second round of the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, released December 1st.

The results from the second round of the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, released December 1st.

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25. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 8-1 (NR)

24. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 5-1 (25)

23. Oregon Ducks 3-1 (15)

22. Washington Huskies 3-0 (NR)

21. Marshall Thundering Herd 7-0 (21)

20. USC Trojans 3-0 (NR)

19. Iowa Hawkeyes 4-2 (24)

18. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 9-0 (20)

17. North Carolina Tar Heels 6-3 (19)

16. Wisconsin Badgers 2-1 (16)

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15. Oklahoma State Cowboys 6-2 (23)

14. Northwestern Wildcats 5-1 (8)

13. BYU Cougars 9-0 (14)

12. Indiana Hoosiers 5-1 (12)

11. Oklahoma Sooners 7-2 (11)

10. Miami Hurricanes 7-1 (10)

9. Iowa State Cyclones 7-2 (13)

8. Georgia Bulldogs 6-2 (9)

7. Cincinnati Bearcats 8-0 (7)

6. Florida Gators 7-1 (6)

5. Texas A&M Aggies 6-1 (5)

4. Ohio State Buckeyes 4-0 (4)

3. Clemson Tigers 8-1 (3)

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-0 (2)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 8-0 (1)

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