Five reactions and what we learned from the fourth rankings from the College Football Playoff committee.
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– Big 12 vs. Utah
– The known unknown is …
– Penn State love
– What it all really means
5. Rapid-Fire First Reaction To Latest College Football Playoff Rankings
What’s with the refusal to like what Virginia Tech is doing? Yeah, it got wiped out by Duke 45-10 at the end of September, but that was before making a quarterback change – the committee is supposed to notice things like that – and before the team went on a run.
The Hokies have won six of their last seven game, with the one loss coming on the final drive against Notre Dame on the road. They whacked Wake Forest, and over the last two weeks beat Georgia Tech and Pitt by a combined score of 63-0. This team should be a whole lot higher than 24.
Virginia Tech being ranked makes things easier. Now we know that the Virginia-VT winner – and Coastal Division champ – will be the easy pick to go to the Orange Bowl if it loses to Clemson.
Ohio State moving up to No. 1 doesn’t matter all that much, unless it’s the committee’s way of providing a time to get used to the idea of LSU not being in the top spot. Why does this matter?
The College Football Playoff committee REALLY and truly just wants to get it right, and there isn’t some hidden agenda other than simply wanting to create the best four-team tournament possible. With that said, by moving up the Buckeyes now, it’s setting it up to avoid a possible LSU/Alabama rematch in the semifinal.
Wisconsin at 12, Michigan at 13. Thank you, College Football Playoff committee, for being the only rankings to acknowledge the Badger blowout win over the Wolverines.
Nah, Oregon’s drop to 14 isn’t going to matter as much as you might think. Utah is going to have to dominate the Pac-12 Championship no matter what and get in as a 12-1 Power Five champ. After this weekend, Oregon will move up to around 11.
18 Memphis and 19 Cincinnati play each other, and they could play the week after in the American Athletic Conference championship. No. 20 Boise State has a better shot than you think of being the Group of Five champion going to the Cotton Bowl.
– Big 12 vs. Utah
– The known unknown is …
– Penn State love
– What it all really means
NEXT: Big 12 vs. Utah
4. Big 12 vs. Utah
It’s up to Utah this weekend to annihilate Colorado and then beat No. 14 Oregon in dominant fashion in the Pac-12 Championship. If the committee likes the Utes right now enough to put them No. 6 – committee chair Rob Mullens acknowledged that the USC loss isn’t that big a deal with RB Zack Moss banged up – that probably won’t change.
But …
The Big 12 now has three teams in the top 21 with chances for the top teams to do something big.
No. 7 Oklahoma has to travel to No. 21 Oklahoma State this week. Win, and no matter what, that’s going to be strong on the resumé. Beat No. 9 Baylor, too – assuming the Bears take care of Kansas this week – and all of a sudden, a 12-1 Big 12 Champion will have closed stronger with more impressive wins than anything Utah can do.
Unless Utah wipes out the Buffs and Ducks.
Basically, Utah, win these next two games really, really, really, really big.
You know who else needs to win really, really, really, really, really big? …
– Rapid First First Reaction
– The known unknown is …
– Penn State love
– What it all really means
NEXT: The known unknown is …
3. The known unknown is …
So how much does Alabama have to beat Auburn by?
What’s the number?
This is one of the parts of the committee’s refusal to take us through the process that really stinks.
Really, what does Alabama have to do? It would be extremely fair for Bama to know where it stands and what the committee might be looking for.
Does the committee want to see Mac Jones throw for 300 yards?
Does it want to see a 30 point blowout? Will 24 points do? Does it want a shutout?
What’s that magical number going to be that gets the Crimson Tide in as one of the four best teams?
Right now, Alabama can’t assume anything other than it has completely and totally annihilate the Tigers. Now that it’s going to try doing anything other than that, but maybe it presses a little more. Maybe it takes more chances if it thinks it has to look more explosive with the backup quarterback.
Or maybe it can win 59-0 and it doesn’t matter if Utah or a Big 12 champion finishes 12-1.
It’s Bama’s job to put a massive number on the board and stress test the committee from there.
And while we’re all debating this, one quick note.
You have as many wins over teams ranked in the latest round of College Football Playoff rankings as Alabama and Utah do.
– Rapid First First Reaction
– Big 12 vs. Utah
– Penn State love
– What it all really means
NEXT: Penn State only dropping to 10 matters …
2. Penn State only dropping to 10 matters
Penn State beat an okay Iowa team on the road in a tough and tight 17-12 game. It followed that up by starting out how against Michigan, only to hang on for dear life – when Michigan’s Ronnie Bell couldn’t hang on to a touchdown pass – in a 28-21 win.
And there’s …
Uhhhhhhhh …
There was that win … over that team … you know …
What is with the College Football Playoff committee’s unwavering affection for this year’s Penn State team?
The Nittany Lions are good, but they’re not that good.
The offense is meh, the defense can’t stop anyone who can throw, and the wins over Pitt, Michigan State and Indiana really aren’t any big whoop.
Starting out the CFP process at 4 was fine. It had those wins over Iowa and Michigan to be a spot ahead of Clemson, who had those wins over a box of freshly baked cupcakes.
Oklahoma came up with a thrilling win over an unbeaten Baylor team on the road, and it couldn’t move past the Nittany Lions.
Minnesota actually beat Penn State, but that was instantly blown off after the Gophers’ close loss to Iowa.
And now, even though Florida’s losses away from home to No. 1 LSU and No. 4 Georgia were good battles, and they’re technically stronger than Penn State’s two losses, the Nittany Lions are still ranked higher than the Gators.
Okay, so they did beat No. 13 Michigan and Florida’s best win is over No. 16 Auburn, and that matters, because now the Nittany Lions have an inside track for a New Year’s Six bowl game, and possibly the Rose Bowl if Wisconsin ends up beating Minnesota and losing to Ohio State.
– Rapid Fire Reactions
– If Alabama wins out …
– The known unknown is …
– What it all really means
NEXT: What this all really means …
1. What this all really means …
Let’s just cut through all of the hoo-ha.
What’s really the deal here?
Ohio State, LSU, Clemson, Georgia and Minnesota. Those five teams can all control their respective fates. Win out – of course, that counts the Minnesota-Ohio State winner – and get in.
Alabama needs to blow away Auburn, but even then, the resumé, just isn’t all that great. The College Football Playoff committee would have to set a new precedent by putting in a that didn’t even win its own division over a team that went 12-1 with a Power Five championship.
Utah can still lose to Oregon.
Oklahoma could absolutely lose to Oklahoma State this weekend and/or to Baylor in the Big 12 Championship, and Baylor could absolutely lose in the rematch to OU.
And Alabama could absolutely lose to Auburn.
There’s a chance that this is all crisp and clean with no caffeine, with LSU, Ohio State and Clemson all unbeaten, and the only other option a 12-1 Big 12 champ or a 12-1 Utah.
And there’s a chance that this all goes kablooey with something we haven’t seen so far in the College Football Playoff era – a big upset in a conference title game.
It’s not all going to get sorted out after this weekend – at least, that’s hopefully not the case.
The more fun, and the more teams still in this, the better.
– Rapid First First Reaction
– Big 12 vs. Utah
– The known unknown is …
– Penn State love
