The first week of the College Football Playoff rankings came rife with controversy and hoopla. Alabama over TCU? Tennessee at 1? LSU at 10? Oh the horror! The shame! Does the committee actually watch football?
Well, that last question still might not be answered, but the first week of the College Football Playoff brought about an immediate shaking of the rankings at every level. Tennessee went down, as well as Clemson and Oklahoma State. The rankings released today should bring some new answers to the next questions people have.
The rankings are as follows:
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Michigan
- TCU
- Tennessee
- Oregon
- LSU
- USC
- Alabama
- Clemson
- Ole Miss
- UCLA
- Utah
- Penn State
- North Carolina
- NC State
- Tulane
- Texas
- Kansas State
- Notre Dame
- Illinois
- UCF
- Florida State
- Kentucky
- Washington
Ohio State holds firm despite being tested
Ohio State continues to hold firm in the rankings, coming in at __ after a 21-7 victory over Northwestern. The weather should make the evaluation of the Buckeyes interesting, as the offense played poorly in suboptimal weather conditions, but the defense is consistently improving. There are three more weeks until The Game, but Ohio State might not be tested very much by their two opponents in between then (Maryland and Indiana). How the Buckeyes are viewed by the committee will be interesting going forward.
USC-UCLA might hold the most weight for the Pac-12’s playoff chances
UCLA is at 12 after throttling Arizona State and USC gets into the top ten after beating Cal. USC doesn’t get Oregon this year, but still has that loss to Utah on their schedule. For the California teams to make the Playoff, that game in the Rose Bowl on Nov. 19 might have colossal implications for the Pac-12. Oregon still is the clubhouse leader, but USC could potentially have the most impressive non-conference win over a pesky Notre Dame team. Yes, we have to remember Oregon lost to Georgia by 46 points, so if both USC and Oregon have the quality win over UCLA, and USC has the better looking non-conference win, that Pac-12 title game could have huge implications.
All TCU has to do is win out
TCU is at number four, but in reality, the highway is clear for the Horned Frogs to make the playoff—if they win out. With Ohio State and Michigan heading towards a collision at the end of the season and Georgia being Georgia, all TCU has to do is run the table. With their strength of record and an undefeated record in the second best conference in college football, they’ll make the Playoff. This is a solid ranking for the Horned Frogs, and it shows that the path to the playoff is right there. Just win out.
