Believe it or not, we’re steaming ahead in this whole college football season thing, and the regular season is already half done for a great many teams. There’s still plenty to determine when it comes to conference races, but teams such as Ohio State have an ultimate goal of reaching the College Football Playoff.
Now that we’ve seen teams for six weeks, we have a much better idea of what the pecking order is. And while the initial College Football Playoff rankings will not be released until Nov. 1, we can throw darts at pictures of teams ahead of that to give you an idea of what the CFP rankings might have looked like after Week 6 if we got an early peek.
Now, keep in mind that the CFP committee has rotating members and it seems every year, it prioritizes its framework of guidelines differently — aside from every team in the SEC getting the benefit of the doubt.
Regardless, here’s our look at how we believe the College Football Playoff rankings might have played out if they were released after Week 6 as a part of all the fun.
25
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won at UL-Monroe, 28-21
Short Synopsis
The CFP committee has not historically thought very highly of non-Power Five teams, but an undefeated one that’s made an appearance before would sneak in as a nod to the mirage of respect.
24
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-2)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. BYU, 28-20
Short Synopsis
Notre Dame is a name-brand team that has won three straight and just knocked off a ranked BYU squad. That would be enough to sneak into the rankings despite the two losses.
23
Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-1)
Week 6 Result
IDLE
Short Synopsis
The CFP committee is supposed to take injuries into account, and there’s a good chance the only loss against Purdue would have had a different result if running back Mohamed Ibrahim had been able to play. For that reason, the Gophers should at least be in the lower end of the rankings.
22
North Carolina Tarheels (5-1)
Week 6 Result
Won at Miami, 27-24
Short Synopsis
UNC seems like the forgotten team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. It has won five out of six games. The defense is a work in progress, but the Tarheels might have sneaked into the rankings this week.
21
Texas Longhorns (4-2)
Week 6 Result
Won at Oklahoma, 49-0
Short Synopsis
An almost-win over Alabama always plays well with the committee despite the two losses. The Longhorns just dismantled an Oklahoma team that appears to have quit on the season.
20
Cincinnati Bearcats (5-1)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. USF, 49-0
Short Synopsis
Cincinnati struggled with USF, but with the Bearcats kind of the darling of the Group of Five teams, a 5-1 record is enough to keep them in the rankings.
19
Kansas Jayhawks (5-1)
Week 6 Result
Lost vs. TCU, 38-31
Short Synopsis
Kansas has been a surprise so far in 2022, but there’s not a marquee win in there. The record would play well, but there really needs to be a notch in the belt somewhere without the historical pedigree.
18
NC State Wolfpack (5-1)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Florida State, 19-17
Short Synopsis
A Power Five team with a 5-1 record is going to count for something with the CFP committee, but the game control has been lacking significantly and there’s not a real, quality win to hang a hat on.
17
Syracuse Orange (5-0)
Week 6 Result
IDLE
Short Synopsis
Syracuse hasn’t looked great but just keeps winning. The Orange will have a chance to make a statement each of the next couple of weeks, but being an undefeated Power Five team counts in the eyes of the committee.
16
Kansas State Wildcats (5-1)
Week 6 Result
Won at Iowa State, 10-9
Short Synopsis
No wins against a ranked opponent keeps Kansas State from going much higher than, but a 5-1 record would play well. The loss to Tulane would be a problem down the road.
15
Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-1)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Arkansas, 40-17
Short Synopsis
The Bulldogs have looked fantastic in every game except one. The loss at LSU doesn’t make sense and continues to look worse and worse. But … Mississippi State would get the love for being in the SEC.
14
Oregon Ducks (5-1)
Week 6 Result
Won at Arizona, 49-22
Short Synopsis
The extremely poor showing against Georgia in Week 1 is going to follow Oregon around, but the committee has not penalized teams as much for losing to the best of the best, so that offsets things if the Ducks continue to win.
13
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-1)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Army, 45-10
Short Synopsis
As long as Wake Forest keeps winning and Clemson does the same, the Demon Deacons will be at the top of the one-loss teams because of the only blemish is an OT defeat at the hands of the Tigers.
12
UCLA Bruins (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Utah, 42-32
Short Synopsis
Even though there are a couple of quality wins in there, both Washington and Utah aren’t in what we forecast as the CFP rankings, so there’s no credit given for a victory over a ranked team. Never fear though because that chance comes next week vs. Oregon.
11
TCU Horned Frogs (5-0)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Kansas, 38-31
Short Synopsis
TCU has come out of nowhere to race to a 5-0 record, including a win over a ranked (for now) Kansas team. That would vault the Horned Frogs up to about here with a wait-and-see approach.
10
Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Texas Tech, 41-31
Short Synopsis
The defense hasn’t been very good but the offense is good again in Stillwater. There’s not a win over a ranked team, at least not according to these projected CFP rankings, so there’s still work to do. The big matchup with TCU provides that chance next week.
9
Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0)
Week 6 Result
IDLE
Short Synopsis
We’re splitting hairs here, but Penn State has a couple of solid road wins that would likely have vaulted it into the top 10 as an undefeated Power Five team. There’s still work to do to impress the committee. Win next week in the Big House and look out.
8
Ole Miss Rebels (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won at Vanderbilt, 52-28
Short Synopsis
There’s the whole SEC thing, but there’s also the reality that the Rebels have looked really good in controlling teams, even beating Kentucky to knock the Wildcats out of the ranks of the unbeaten.
7
Michigan Wolverines (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won at Indiana, 31-10
Short Synopsis
The schedule has been awful to date. And while that’s fine if you are dominating it, the Wolverines have struggled over the last couple of weeks once the sledding became a tad bit tougher. Next week looms large.
6
Tennessee Volunteers (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won at LSU, 40-13
Short Synopsis
Tennessee gets the nod over Michigan for looking a little more dominant against its competition. Oh yeah, and … SEC.
5
USC Trojans (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Washington State, 30-14
Short Synopsis
The wins aren’t very impressive because of a light schedule to date, but the Trojans have looked good with game control so far this year. The game at Utah will give us more to look at next week.
4
Clemson Tigers (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won at Boston College, 31-3
Short Synopsis
Clemson looks like a team that has a lot of holes but the pedigree has always seemed to mean quite a bit to the committee. Add that to an undefeated record so far with two ranked wins, and you have yourself a highly rated Tigers squad.
3
Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Texas A&M, 24-20
Short Synopsis
It’s Alabama and the Tide are still undefeated. However, I don’t think there’s any way the committee would look at the struggles in a couple of games and not make the call to drop Alabama from the top spot. There are two teams that have looked more complete and performed better without a doubt.
2
Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won at Michigan State, 49-20
Short Synopsis
Ohio State has looked like the best team in the country, but we simply can’t deny the love the committee has shown for Georgia over the last few years. The dismantling of Oregon in Week 1 is still a part of the body of work no matter what we’ve seen. The Buckeyes need a ranked win to move the needle more.
1
Georgia Bulldogs (6-0)
Week 6 Result
Won vs. Auburn, 42-10
Short Synopsis
The struggles recently have been real for Georgia, but again — the win over a ranked Oregon team that continues to win in combination with the slanted eye the committee has had toward teams in the SEC would be enough to keep the Bulldogs at No. 1 in our opinion.
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