What to look for in the CFP selection committee’s third rankings

With the CFP selection committee coming out with new rankings Tuesday night, let’s look ahead to what they might say on certain issues.

Positions 18-25

The choices the committee makes at the bottom of the rankings will teach us far more than any choices at the top. Does the committee respect the three-loss ACC teams–Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Pitt? (That decision, by the way, has major implications as to who will play in the Orange Bowl.) Does the committee still respect the middle of the Big 12, and could it rank four-loss Iowa State and/or Texas? Maybe SMU will move back into the rankings after falling out last week due to a close win over ECU.

More than anyone, though, the Pac 12 wants to see what the committee will do. Both Washington and USC have a chance to be ranked if they can each finish at 8-4. If one of those teams can show up in the rankings this week, it would be a great sign for the conference. Oregon and Utah appear to be on a collision course to meet in the Pac 12 Championship Game with 11-1 records. If they have a ranked win or two before that, it can do a lot for the conference’s perception.

The last team to look for at the back of the rankings is San Diego State. It’s hard to imagine any conference but the AAC getting the Cotton Bowl bid unless we see some major collapses by teams in that conference, but if the Mountain West can have two ranked teams facing off in its conference championship game, then there’s at least a potential conversation here.

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