The first College Football Playoff rankings of the expansion era brought no major surprises, a few curious decisions and one perceived slight.
As expected, undefeated Oregon was No. 1 when the selection committee’s Top 25 was revealed Tuesday afternoon, followed by Ohio State, Georgia and Miami.
The Big Ten and SEC each placed four teams in the top 12 positions, meaning they would account for eight spots if the field were selected today. (The final rankings, on Dec. 8, will determine the participants and seeds for the expanded event.)
No decision was more puzzling than Brigham Young’s placement in the No. 9 position.
The Cougars (8-0) have wins over two teams in the committee’s rankings: No. 13 SMU and No. 19 Kansas State. Also, their strength-of-schedule ranking is 61st, according to ESPN. (The selection committee uses data provided by SportSource Analytics.)
Yet the Cougars were one spot behind Indiana (9-0), which has no wins over ranked teams and the 103rd-toughest schedule, and they were five spots behind Miami (9-0), which has one win over a ranked opponent.
“If I’m BYU, I’m really upset,” ESPN analyst Greg McElroy said. “I’m a little frustrated with how this thing has shaken out.”
The placement seemingly suggests the selection committee does not think highly of the Big 12.
Committee chair Warde Manuel, who is Michigan’s athletic director, pointed to optics as the difference between the Cougars and the Hurricanes.
“It really came down to more of an eye test as it related to looking at both teams,” Manuel told reporters on a conference call, “and the committee, as we ranked them, saw them in that fashion, and it came out in that order.”
Other notable developments from the rankings:
— In addition to accounting for one-third of the CFP spots, the SEC placed four two-loss teams (Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi) ahead of one-loss Iowa State (Big 12) and one-loss Pittsburgh (ACC).
That will undoubtedly please commissioner Greg Sankey, who has been clear about his desire to see the conference rewarded for its depth.
— Boise State was No. 12, just three spots behind Brigham Young, the highest-ranked Big 12 team.
Those positions are worth monitoring because of the CFP’s complicated seeding process. If the Broncos are ranked above the Big 12 champion at the end of the regular season, they would receive a bye into the quarterfinals while the Big 12 winner would have to play in the opening round, potentially on the road.
“The committee is very high on (the Broncos) as it relates to their performance,” Manuel said.
— Colorado (6-2), which is one game out of first place in the Big 12, was ranked 20th.
The placement is somewhat immaterial, however. The Buffaloes are unlikely to make the at-large field as a multi-loss Big 12 runner-up. Their path into the CFP runs through the conference championship.
— Washington State cracked the rankings (No. 21), a significant development on multiple fronts.
The Cougars cannot make the CFP as a conference champion because of the depleted state of the Pac-12, leaving them with only the at-large path (much like Notre Dame).
In order to qualify, the Cougars (7-1) would need to finish the season with at least a top-12 ranking. Their schedule is unlikely to provide much propulsion, meaning they need a handful of teams ranked above them to lose.
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If they climb into the CFP, the Cougars would dislodge a team from one of the Power Four conferences that excluded them (and Oregon State) in the realignment game.
“We looked at them in terms of what they’ve done this season,” Manuel said. “Their only loss was to Boise State, who’s ranked 12th, and they have four wins against teams above .500, but the best win was their win over Washington.
“While they’re playing consistent football … we still felt as the deliberations occurred that at the present time, the committee ranked them based on their body of work at 21 with a lot of football obviously left to play.”
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