Dec 8 CFP Rankings Reaction

We are almost to the end of the season. The top 6 teams once again remain the same, and probably will unless something major happens. I just don’t see an outside team breaking up the top 4 this season. Thank you to BYU and Coastal Carolina for putting on such a great game on short notice. That was super fun.

1. Alabama
No change from last week. The Tide looked amazing against LSU as they avenged last season’s loss to the Tigers.
My Rank: 1

2. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish had another strong week and continued to look like a CFP team. We won’t see them play again until they face Clemson for the ACC Title.
My Rank: 2

3. Clemson
Clemson had no issues with Virginia Tech. Like Notre Dame, they will be off this week before the rematch for the ACC Title.
My Rank: 3

4. Ohio State
Ohio State blew out another Big 10 team this week, but with their game against Michigan canceled, the Big 10 has to decide if they are going to enforce the 6-game requirement to play in the Big 10 Champ game. I would assume the will let Ohio State play Northwestern in order to get a Big 10 team into the CFP. I understand that, but Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame will have all played 11 games prior to the CFP. That takes a toll on the players and makes it a bit unfair. We know Ohio State is very good, but Ohio State has only played one team with a winning record. Alabama has played 4, and two of those teams are still ranked in the top 10. The SEC has 4 teams that have 2 or fewer losses, the Big 10 has 10 such teams (both conferences field 14 teams). **UPDATE: The Big 10 DID change their ruling to allow Ohio State into the Championship game**
My Rank: 4

5. Texas A&M and 6. Florida
The Aggies and Gators continue to hope someone in the top 4 slips up. Both teams had strong outings last week and have made a decent case to the committee. Florida will get the chance to make the biggest impact if they can beat Alabama in the SEC Championship game. I’m not sure Texas A&M can make it unless Florida beats Alabama handedly and Northwestern beats Ohio State.
My Rank: 5 or 6 for both

7. Iowa State
The Cyclones had another big win, this week over West Virginia. The committee bumped Iowa State ahead of Cincinnati and I am ok with that. Iowa State will get to take a week off before facing Oklahoma for the Big 12 Title. Iowa State has been one of the biggest surprise teams this year and they have been so much fun to watch.
My Rank: 7

8. Cincinnati
The Bearcats dropped a spot after not playing last weekend, and they won’t get to play this week either. Cincinnati is having issues with the virus but as of now, the AAC Title game against Tulsa is still on for the 19th. The Bearcats were scheduled to play Tulsa this weekend as well, so it really isn’t that big of a deal. Cincinnati is still in the prime spot to represent the Group of 5 teams in a New Year’s 6 bowl game. If they were to lose to Tulsa, that bid would most likely go to Coastal Carolina.
My Rank: 8

9. Georgia
Georgia’s game against Vanderbilt was canceled a bit late in the week and Georgia was not happy about it. This week they will get to face a ranked Missouri team. The Bulldogs are playing for pride right now and I doubt they will let Missouri get the best of them. I think 9 is a good ranking. There aren’t too many teams I think would beat Georgia on a neutral field.
My Rank: 9

10. Miami
I just don’t understand the love that the committee is giving to Miami. I won’t lie and say I don’t have a bit of an SEC bias, but I haven’t seen Miami play well enough to earn a top-10 ranking. I don’t think shutting out Duke warrants being in the top 10. They do deserve some credit for being 8-1, but they could very easily be 5-4.
My Rank: 15

11. Oklahoma
The Sooners had a bit of a close game against Baylor last week, but they were never really in danger of losing. Oklahoma was able to turn their season around with their big win over Texas. Since then, the offense has really come alive and they look like Oklahoma. They have to make sure not to look over West Virginia this weekend. Their Big 12 Champ rematch with Iowa State needs to wait until after this week, because I’m sure the Mountaineers would love nothing more than to spoil what looks to be a pretty good chance at a NY6 bowl for Oklahoma.
My Rank: 10

12. Indiana
Indiana had another impressive win this week. This time against Wisconsin on the road. The Hoosiers were able to hold the Badgers to just two field goals in the game. I am bummed that Indiana will not get to play in the Big 10 Championship game because of the Big 10 deciding to let Ohio State play, but I think this has been a great year for Indiana. They should get to go to a good bowl and start off next season as a real contender.
My Rank: 11

13. Coastal Carolina
First of all, I’d like to say thank you to BYU and Coastal Carolina for putting this game together so quickly. This was the game we, as college football fans, deserved. The Chanticleers honestly surprised me with their win. I though BYU’s strength would be too much, but I was wrong. The final defensive stop to win the game showed everyone that Coastal means business. If only we could’ve seen them play Cincinnati as well. I really hope they can carry this momentum for the rest of the season and into next year.
My Rank: 12

14. Northwestern
It has been a couple weeks since Northwester played a football game, and the last time they did, they lost to a bad Michigan State team. They need to rebound against Illinois this week before playing Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship game. They are a hard team to rank because we know they are good when they play to their ability. Also, a high ranking for them boosts Ohio State’s credibility in terms of the CFP. (Yes, I realize I sound like a conspiracy theorist when it comes to the higher ups wanting Ohio State to make the playoff, BUT I’M RIGHT, DARN IT!)
My Rank: 14

15. USC
USC had another impressive game this week. After surviving the first two games of the season, the last two have been blow outs. I think they have hit their stride and are in the driver’s seat to win their division. (Colorado is also 4-0 overall, but they played San Diego State in a non-conference game.) USC will play UCLA this weekend, and if they win that, they will play the winner of the Oregon vs. Washington game for the Pac12 title.
My Rank: 16

16. Iowa
After losing their first two games of the season, Iowa has rattled off 5 straight wins. This week they will play a Wisconsin team that has really struggled to put points on the board against decent competition. Iowa is a pretty good team, but the Big 10 is so bad this season, it is pretty hard to tell if their record is a reflection of their abilities or that subpar competition.
My Rank: 17

17. North Carolina
North Carolina got a feel-good game last week against FCS Western Carolina. They will be playing Miami this week in what is probably the biggest game in the conference that doesn’t involve Clemson or Notre Dame. Based on their season, I think this is a decent ranking for the Tar Heels. They are good but not great.
My Rank: 18

18. BYU
I wish I could say that I was surprised the committee dropped BYU so far after their loss to Coastal Carolina. They had a couple days notice to travel across the country and prepare for one of the top teams in the country and came within two yards of winning the game. BYU should be ranked much higher than they are. I think on a full week of prep, there are very few teams that the Cougars wouldn’t beat.
My Rank: 13

19. Louisiana
I’m very surprised that the committee bumped Louisiana 6 spots after surviving Appalachian State. They gave up two safeties in the game, and one was on purpose with 1:23 remaining in the fourth quarter. I think this is another case of lending credibility to conference championship games. This way, as long as Coastal beats Troy, the Sun Belt title game will feature two ranked teams. I’m not saying that Louisiana isn’t deserving of a ranking, I just don’t think they have played their way into the top 20.
My Rank: 21

20. Texas
The Longhorns had an offensive explosion last week against Kansas State. Texas is so up and down as a team. I think that if they played to their potential every week, they would be hard to beat. They should be able to end their season on a high note with a big win over Kansas.
My Rank: 19

21. Colorado
Colorado is a pretty good team. They have yet to win a game by more than 11 points, but they have won all four games they have played. Their last game of the regular season will be against Utah this weekend. Because they played a non-conference game against San Diego State (Arizona State had to cancel because of covid), they will, in all likelihood, not play for the conference championship despite the real possibility of going undefeated.
My Rank: 20

22. Oklahoma State
I think everyone was super confused when the committee bumped Oklahoma State up 8 spots after barely beating Texas Tech. They proved all of us doubters right by losing to TCU last week. I’m ok with them still being ranked, but the Cowboys just haven’t been all that good this season. It hasn’t helped that star RB Chuba Hubbard has been a non-factor in the second half of the season.
My Rank: 23

23. NC State
The Wolf Pack ended their regular season on a 4-game winning streak that included a big 1-point win over then-ranked Liberty. They are a pretty good team and I don’t really have an issue with them being ranked.
My Rank: 22

24. Tulsa
Tulsa was able to get a nice win at Navy last week. They were supposed to play Cincinnati to finish off the regular season, but covid issues at Cincinnati have canceled the game. As of now, the two are still scheduled to play for the American Conference championship next week.
My Rank: 24

25. Missouri
As an Arkansas fan, I would like to take Missouri being ranked as a compliment after they beat us last week. The real reason I think they are ranked is that the committee kind of ran out of teams. Missouri is decent, but I think there are a lot of teams who could’ve filled this spot as well. Mainly Liberty.
My Rank: 25