Reaction to the College Football Playoff rankings and the 12-team bracket.
This season, the defending national champion overtook Ohio State at No. 2 in the third of six rankings to become the College Football Playoff selection committee’s top team for the first time. Georgia’s second victory against a ranked opponent in as many weeks came from the Bulldogs’ decisive 52-17 victory over No. 13 Ole Miss on Saturday. On November 4, Georgia also triumphed over No. 9 Missouri.
Georgia provided the committee with the strongest resume and eye test this season for the first time, and as the SEC East champions, they will play No. 8 Alabama in the SEC title game. Ohio State’s best victories, against No. 12 Penn State and No. 19 Notre Dame, are now eclipsed by Georgia’s two top-15 victories.
The most obvious change in Tuesday’s rating was Georgia’s ascension to the top, but what didn’t happen will probably cause more of a stir. Even after three victories over opponents ranked, unbeaten Washington remains on the bubble at No. 5, trailing only undefeated Florida State at No. 4.
What does No. 5 Washington have to do to move up?
17. Arizona and Utah’s No. 22. Based on ESPN’s strength of record measure, Washington ranks second, meaning that a team in the average top 25 would have only a 6% probability of winning the same games with a 10-0 record. At No. 3, Florida State is directly behind the Huskies. When it comes to schedule strength and game control, Washington is superior against Florida State. Based on the committee’s own ranking, Washington is also in a better conference this year.
No. 10 Louisville and No. 20 North Carolina are not played by Florida State during the regular season, and there are five ranked Pac-12 teams as opposed to three ACC teams. However, it appears that the committee is worried about the Huskies’ defense.
Washington will face its fourth ranked opponent in seven games Saturday when it travels to No. 11 Oregon State. Florida State, meanwhile, will play North Alabama. If both teams win and Washington still doesn’t move up, it could come down to their respective conference championship games. Washington could face No. 6 Oregon again in the Pac-12 title game. Another Huskies win against the Ducks would again be better than Florida State’s win against No. 10 Louisville.
However, if it’s not enough already, one must wonder if it would be sufficient come Selection Day. But by then Michigan and Ohio State would have played, and at least one would have fallen inexorably. It’s feasible that Florida State, Washington, Florida State, the winner of the Big Ten, and the SEC will end up in the final four.
But as of right now, even in the absence of the stronger resume, the committee is obviously of the opinion that Florida State is a superior squad. Washington is still ahead of the best team in the Big 12, Texas, which is fantastic news. In relation to…
What will it take to separate the top one-loss teams?
No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Texas, and No. 8 Alabama have been unable to break through for three weeks in a row. Oregon still has a tremendous chance to make an impression on the committee if it defeats No. 11 Oregon State in the regular-season finale. Furthermore, a victory over Washington, ranked fifth, in the Pac-12 championship game would add one of the best victories in the nation to the Ducks’ record.
But when Alabama takes against No. 1 Georgia in the SEC title game, no team has a greater chance to impress the committee than that one. The committee would still need to take into account the Tide’s head-to-head loss to Texas in Tuscaloosa, but that alone would probably propel them into the top four. Although it is one of numerous tiebreakers the committee would take into consideration when records are comparable, it is not given any weight in the talks.
The committee would also take into account the strength of their schedules if Texas and Alabama both end up with one loss each. Texas has three victories over No. 8 Alabama, No. 21 Kansas State, and No. 25 Kansas, three teams ranked in the CFP top-25. No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 LSU, and No. 18 Tennessee are the other three for Alabama. A victory over Georgia may make all the difference in the world.
Naturally, the number of members of the one-loss club will increase in two weeks when the loser of Ohio State vs. Michigan joins. In relation to Michigan…
This had nothing to do with Jim Harbaugh
The football squad from Michigan is exceptional; statistically speaking, they outperform the Buckeyes in a number of areas, such as fewer penalties and turnovers. The top quarterback in the Big Ten is on the Michigan team. They will be able to advance. Perhaps following a victory away at Maryland, if they are on top and Ohio State finds it difficult to defeat Minnesota. Absolutely, provided they defeat the Buckeyes.
What a 12-team playoff would look like