Tag: College Football Playoff Rankings

Watch: Alabama football players react to finding out CFP rankings

Alabama football players were not thrilled with their position behind UGA football in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The College Football Playoff committee had a big decision to make in the latest edition of their rankings.

To value Georgia’s two good wins and one bad loss over Alabama’s no signature wins and one forgivable loss?

Ultimately, the committee placed Georgia at No. 4 in the rankings, meaning if the Playoffs were to begin today the Dawgs would be in.

Alabama checked in at No. 5. Some argue that the Tide should have been ranked at 4, some are fine with the committee’s decision and then there’s a decent sized portion of the college football community who actually think Nick Saban’s team is not even deserving of being the second highest ranked one-loss program.

Bama lost a close game to LSU, which is now No. 1 in the nation. The final score showed Alabama lost by five, but it really did not feel that tight throughout the full game.

Despite that, and the fact that Georgia has two top-25 wins to Alabama’s zero, Bama players were not pleased to find out they sit behind Georgia in the newest rankings.

Watch as they react to the rankings. Volume up.

“As you look at No. 4 and No. 5 and the discussion around those two teams: two really good teams, obviously one-loss teams,” committee chair Rob Mullens said. “We just saw Alabama had a tough loss against LSU, but when you compare that against Georgia’s resume and the two big wins that Georgia had…”

Ohio State gets leapfrogged by LSU in latest CFP Rankings, but is that the right call?

The CFP Committee is supposed to rank the best teams, not the teams with the best resumes. Ohio State drops to No. 2 and it’s not right.

We all saw it coming from a mile away. By way of its win on the road against Alabama, the LSU Tigers have moved ahead of Ohio State and grabbed the No. 1 spot in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings. The Buckeyes checked in at No. 2.

So much for looking at things objectively and railing against the national narrative. It’s one thing for it to happen with the narrow-minded AP and Amway Coaches Polls, but it’s another for the so-called smartest minds in football to do it with an unbiased eye.

I agree that there’s something to be said about the resume the Tigers have put together with four Top 25 wins and all, but at some point it seems like a bit of a cop out. Do you reward the most deserving team, or the better team? Ohio State has been more dominant than any other team out there, yet it drops to LSU because of the Alabama and SEC curve yet again.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Teams that play well against Alabama are given preferential treatment time and time again. A two-loss Georgia team appeared ahead of a one-loss Big Ten Champion Ohio State in the last set of CFP Rankings last year. And now, simply for beating the Tide, LSU gets the benefit of the doubt and leaps over the Buckeyes for the No. 1 spot.

The advanced metrics for Ohio State have been setting records.You couple that with the Buckeyes’ total domination on the field, and it feels like the CFP fell in line with popular opinion because LSU being better than Alabama means it’s better than anyone else.

Hogwash.

It’s time to ask the question of whether this Ohio State team, if having an SEC logo on the front of its jersey, would have dropped. If Alabama would have been this dominant in recent years, I’d bet the farm that there’s no way, no how, it would drop from the No. 1 slot unless it lost. I mean, Ohio State put up 73 freakin’ points against Maryland, hasn’t played a game close yet, has the nation’s best defense, and a top five offense.

Better yet, Ohio State leads the country in yards allowed per game, points per game given up, points scored per game on offense, and yet it still gets leapfrogged because a team from the SEC beat Alabama. OSU looked utterly dominant against a Power Five opponent last game despite missing its best player.

There’s not one thing Ohio State could have done better than what it has to date to be the No. 1 team in the country other than by drinking sweet tea and having grits and bologna sandwiches for breakfast.

It’s a good thing we have four teams that make this playoff because it’ll take a little of the SEC bias out of the equation. Or so we hope.

You have to do better College Football Playoff Committee and quit drinking the SEC Kool-Aid. Just you wait though until the SEC gets two teams in all the fun yet again.

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Latest CFP Rankings: 10 Thoughts

Georgia is rated over Alabama.  Does anyone in their right mind actually think Georgia is a better football team outside of Athens?

The latest College Football Playoff rankings came out Tuesday night as much drama surrounded how far Alabama would fall after losing at home to LSU, if LSU would jump previously No.1 Ohio State and how far Minnesota would rise after upsetting previously No. 4 Penn State this weekend.

Well, the wait is over and the committee’s new rankings are out and they go as follows:

25. Appalachian State
24. Kansas State
23. Navy
22. Oklahoma State
21. Boise State
20. Iowa
19. Texas
18. Memphis
17. Cincinnati
16. Notre Dame
15. Michigan
14. Wisconsin
13. Baylor
12. Auburn
11. Florida
10. Oklahoma
9. Penn State
8. Minnesota
7. Utah
6. Oregon
5.  Alabama
4. Georgia
3.  Clemson
2.  Ohio State
1.  LSU

My initial ten thoughts immediately upon release:

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College Football Playoff Rankings week 12: Does Texas make it?

Where does Texas rank in the week 12 edition of the College Football Playoff rankings

Last week, the first College Football Playoff top 25 rankings were released, and the Longhorns were not listed.

The second CFP rankings were released on Tuesday night, and Texas is in.

Coming in at the 19 spot in week 12’s rankings, Texas is looking to make a final push for the Big 12 Championship. But both Baylor and Oklahoma are ahead of them in the conference standings. Texas will face Iowa State this weekend before traveling down to Waco, TX to face the Baylor Bears.

Here are the complete CFP rankings for week 12:

With Penn State and Alabama both falling over the weekend, the top four teams look completely different. The final stretch of the 2019 college football season is shaping up to be a good one.

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Oklahoma falls one spot in this week’s College Football Playoff Rankings

After a big win by Minnesota and a close call against Iowa State, Oklahoma actually fell in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

After a big win by P.J. Fleck’s Golden Gophers and a close call against Iowa State, Oklahoma actually fell in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

The CFP committee released its second rankings of the 2019 season Tuesday night, and the Sooners fell one spot to No. 10 as Minnesota entered the top-10 and Penn State didn’t fall below them.

No. 10 Oklahoma was up 42-21 on Iowa State halfway through the third quarter. The Cyclones put together a productive drive right before the third-quarter ended, then punched in a touchdown early in the fourth-quarter on the way to scoring 20-straight. A failed two-point conversion attempt cost Iowa State a chance to upset the Sooners on the road.

Here is how the rest of the top-10 of the College Football Playoff Rankings rounded out:

  1. LSU
  2. Ohio State
  3. Clemson
  4. Georgia
  5. Alabama
  6. Oregon
  7. Utah
  8. Minnesota
  9. Penn State
  10. Oklahoma

Kansas State stayed in the top-25 after a loss to Texas at No. 24 and Oklahoma State stayed in at No. 22. The Longhorns entered the rankings at No. 19.

Oklahoma will take on No. 13 Baylor, who fell one spot in this week’s rankings, Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

The Sooners have two games left against current top-25 opponents with this week against the Bears and on Nov. 30 against Oklahoma State.

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Week 2 College Football Playoff Rankings: How To Watch, Stream, TV Schedule, Predictions

This week’s rankings are going to be released at 7 p.m. ET, which is two hours earlier.

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Week 2 College Football Playoff Rankings: How To Watch, Stream, TV Schedule, Predictions

A new time for the second week release of the playoff rankings.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Get your schedule adjusted.

The second week of the College Football Playoff rankings are being released on Tuesday night and at an earlier time so be prepared for the latest top 25 to be announced two hours earlier at 7 p.m. ET.

The latest playoff projections are not going to impact the Mountain West all that much as we peg Boise State at No. 20 and third in line for the Group of Five with Cincinnati being 17th and Memphis at No. 18.

The rankings themselves do not matter all that much as there are still a handful of games left and the two AAC teams ahead of Boise State play each other in the final week and possibly again in that league’s title game.

All the Broncos need to do is keep winning to stay in the race. The top of the rankings do not matter for our purposes but it will be interesting to see how much Minnesota will rise after its upset win over Penn State.

How To Watch

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12
Start time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Stream: WatchESPN or SlingTV

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Should Ohio State still be ranked at the top of the CFP Rankings this week?

Both Ohio State and LSU will have a case to make when it comes to being ranked No. 1 in the next College Football Playoff Rankings.

After totally dismantling Maryland this past week in a 73-14 win, does it still warrant Ohio State being ranked No. 1 this week in the College Football Playoff rankings? On Saturday Ohio State put up the most points against any Big Ten team since 1950. That — in itself — is quite impressive.

But the Buckeyes weren’t the only team that put on an impressive showing.

With the huge win against Alabama and four top 25 wins, LSU has a good argument to be number one when the rankings come out Tuesday night. The Tigers’ resume that includes high caliber wins  is tough to argue, but it poses the question of what the committee values the most? Pure dominance or wins against ranked opponents? In other words, is it best resume, or most dominant and impressive team via the eye test and metrics?

We digress and discuss …

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Next … LSU’s case

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College Football Playoff Rankings Projection, Week 2: What Will They Be On Tuesday Night?

What will the College Football Playoff rankings be in the second unveiling on Tuesday night?

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What will the College Football Playoff rankings be in the second unveiling on Tuesday night?

This just cleared up fast in a whole slew of ways.

After a big weekend with a slew of important results, there are now seven teams that control their own destinies. LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Minnesota, Baylor and Penn State. For those seven, win out, and get into the College Football Playoff.

For everyone else – and this includes Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah – it’s going to take winning out and getting some help. This year, 12-1 with a Power Five conference championship might not be good enough because of …

Alabama.

The Crimson Tide haven’t beaten anyone of note other than Texas A&M, but how much will the committee care? With a date at Auburn to close out, if the Tide win and go 11-1, and if LSU wins out and goes 13-0 with an SEC championship, can there be a new precedent set?

There’s a long way to go, but unlike last year when there were just two unbeaten Power Five teams – Alabama and Clemson – along with Notre Dame by this point, there are five.

As always, a few things to keep in mind …

1. This is simply a snapshot. We can see how the committee is thinking early on, and we can get a first look at what it seems to like, but it gets thrown out next week and the process starts over.

2. In general, the committee over the first five years of this thing loves big wins and hates ugly losses. You can lose, but don’t get wiped out. At the end of the day, the committee can like any team it wants to, just because. However … big wins, big wins, big wins.

3. Each spot in the order is argued over. It’s not just a random list thrown together in a room. Everyone has to agree that team X needs to get put ahead of teams Y and Z. You might not agree with the rankings, but each spot in the top 25 has been meticulously debated.

And after all of that, it’s about feel, eye-test, and resumé.

So what will they be? Here’s the best guess for what the second College Football Playoff rankings will be on Tuesday night.

25. Kansas State Wildcats 6-3 (16)

Being the one team that beat Oklahoma will be just enough to allow the Wildcats to hang on in the top 25. The wins over Mississippi State and TCU help, and the three losses were to Baylor at home, and Texas and Oklahoma State on the road. All three will be likely be ranked.

24. Oklahoma State Cowboys 6-3 (25)

Arguably the biggest surprise in the first top 25, the Cowboys managed to somehow slip into the first rankings thanks to a win over a Kansas State team that beat Oklahoma. There isn’t a lot else to like, but despite the off-week, they’re not going to slip out of the rankings.

23. Texas Longhorns 6-3 (NR)

The win over Kansas State changes the game. The Longhorn loss to TCU hurts, and the rough game against Kansas is a problem, but the team managed to get by the Wildcats this week, and the two other losses were to Oklahoma and LSU – nothing wrong with that. The win over Oklahoma State a few weeks ago will be enough to get into the top 25.

22. SMU Mustangs 9-1 (25)

The offense is still a blast. There’s no defense whatsoever, but there’s still a win over a TCU team that beat Texas, and the offense has not scored 41 points or more in eight of its last nine games. It’ll move up a wee bit, but not enough to get in range of the Group of Five’s New Year’s Six bowl quite yet.

21. Navy Midshipmen 7-1 (24)

Navy was off this week, but it gets its chance to make a massive statement to the committee with a trip to Notre Dame this week and with SMU to follow. The win over Air Force was good, but that’s it. The ranking is almost all about the 7-1 record.

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20. Iowa Hawkeyes 6-3 (18)

How far will the Hawkeyes slide? Not far. The three losses were to Wisconsin and Michigan on the road and at home to Penn State by a combined 14 points. There isn’t a strong win – Iowa State comes close – but that chance is coming against Minnesota this week.

19. Boise State Broncos 8-1 (22)

Boise State isn’t remotely passing the eye-test – it’s struggling way too much lately with QB Hank Bachmeier banged up and having a hard time staying on the field – but there’s still the win at Florida State, there’s still a win over Air Force, and in all, there’s a good chance it has wins over seven teams that will go bowling.

18. Memphis Tigers 8-1 (21)

The Tigers didn’t play this week, but their ranking will be strengthened – and improved – thanks to SMU coming up with a ninth win – MU beat SMU 54-48 two weeks ago. At the moment, the Tigers gave both SMU and Navy their only losses.

17. Cincinnati Bearcats 8-1 (20)

This will be one of the key teams that will benefit from the several losses this weekend. The 48-3 blowout of UConn won’t matter to the committee, but with losses by Iowa, Kansas State and Wake Forest, UC will move on up and stay on top of the Group of Five pack.

16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-2 (15)

The 38-7 blowout win over Duke on the road was nice, but the Fighting Irish can’t get moved ahead of Michigan – they lost 45-14 a few weeks ago in Ann Arbor – and they need a lot of help to start moving up. However, beat Navy, Boston College and Stanford to finish at 10-2, and at worst, they’ll get one of the ACC’s top bowl games.

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15. Michigan Wolverines 7-2 (14)

The Wolverines will be stuck in neutral – and should drop a spot – after not playing this week and with a slew of other big things happening. With Michigan State, at Indiana, and Ohio State still to play, a New Year’s Six game will still be possible as they stay in the top 15.

14. Wisconsin Badgers 7-2 (13)

The 24-22 win over Iowa was nice, but it needs Minnesota to lose once, and it needs to win out against Nebraska, Purdue, and the Gophers to get to the Big Ten Championship. There’s going to be a LOT of traffic ahead of the Badgers to get to the Rose Bowl, but they’ll be in range.

13. Auburn Tigers 7-2 (11)

Will the committee fix the glitch? Auburn lost to Florida and LSU – it should be ranked behind those two. Florida also lost to Georgia – it’ll be ranked lower than the Dawgs. Auburn beat Oregon, who doesn’t have that many great wins, but the Ducks were No. 7 and AU 11. The Tigers can’t win the SEC West, but if they beat Georgia this week and shock Alabama, they’re a lock for the New Year’s Six, and maybe the Sugar Bowl.

12. Florida Gators 8-2 (10)

The committee will get it right by putting the Gators ahead of Auburn, but they’ll still be ranked too low. They’ll drop a bit only because of all the other things going on, and the 56-0 whacking of Vanderbilt won’t get a whole lot of respect. However, if they get by Missouri and Florida State to close things out, watch out for them to slip into a New Year’s Six game.

11. Oklahoma Sooners 8-1 (9)

The near-collapse to Iowa State will be enough for the committee to correct last week’s mistake. Now it’ll put an unbeaten Baylor – who beat the same Kansas State team that beat Oklahoma – higher, and the 89 points allowed in the last two games will jump off the page.

NEXT: Top Ten

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