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The College Football Playoff Selection Committee released its latest rankings on Tuesday night. This is the second playoff ranking released this season and there have been some notable changes since Week 9.
Top 25 Ranking
https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff/status/1458261683873452032?s=20
This second edition of College Football Playoff ranking includes a top four of undefeated Georgia at No. 1, Alabama at No. 2, followed by No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 Ohio State.
The full Top 25 ranking:
- Georgia (9-0)
- Alabama (8-1)
- Oregon (8-1)
- Ohio State (8-1)
- Cincinnati (9-0)
- Michigan (8-1)
- Michigan State (8-1)
- Oklahoma (9-0)
- Notre Dame (8-1)
- Oklahoma State (8-1)
- Texas A&M (7-2)
- Wake Forest (8-1)
- Baylor (7-2)
- BYU (8-2)
- Ole Miss (7-2)
- North Carolina State (7-2)
- Auburn (6-3)
- Wisconsin (6-3)
- Purdue (6-3)
- Iowa (7-2)
- Pittsburgh (7-2)
- San Diego State (8-1)
- UTSA (9-0)
- Utah (6-3)
- Arkansas (6-3)
Georgia remains at the top of the CFP ranking. The Bulldogs continue to lead the nation in scoring defense with 6.6 points allowed per game.
Many college football fans online have questioned Alabama’s status as the number two team in the nation following their performance on Saturday. The Crimson Tide survived a 20-14 victory against 4-4 LSU at home to keep their national championship repeat hopes alive.
The Ducks assume Michigan State’s place as the number three team in the country following Michigan State’s stunning 40-29 upset by unranked Purdue. The ranking is Oregon’s highest in the College Football Playoff rankings since the CFP was introduced in 2014.
No. 4 Ohio State defeated Nebraska 26-17 and was elevated from their previous No. 5 rank.
However, most of the questioning surrounding the CFP isn’t related to the top four teams, instead the runner ups.
Mayhem in Michigan
Michigan and Michigan State were the topic of conversation on Tuesday night as the #CFBPlayoff rankings were released with some controversy.
But it doesn't even matter until all the games are played. #GoGreen https://t.co/lfl5FCIgR8
— Spartan Avenue (@SpartanAvenueFS) November 10, 2021
The new playoff ranking has stirred up some controversy, especially surrounding Michigan’s placement on the list. Michigan State’s first loss Saturday caused the Spartans not only to fall out of the top four, but behind rival Michigan.
In Week 9, before the new ranking, 7-1 Michigan sat at No. 9. The Wolverines now sit ranked at No. 6 between Cincinnati and Michigan State. Both Big 10 teams have identical records with one loss apiece and a 5-1 conference record. The controversy comes from Michigan’s only loss being to the team it sits in front of on the ranking. Michigan State beat the Wolverines in a thrilling 37-33 head-to-head matchup in Spartan Stadium on Oct. 30.
CFP Selection Committee Chair Gary Barta addressed the media in a conference call following the rankings reveal and explained the committee’s decision. He said the decision on how to rank the two teams was a long one for the committee. He said the pairing probably took over half an hour.
When asked about the reasoning for the flip, Barta referred to Michigan as the more complete team.
Barta also added that Michigan’s 29-7 win over Indiana Saturday added to the case of them being ranked ahead of Michigan State.
Notable Ranked and Missing Teams
Oklahoma’s No. 8 ranking came as a surprise to many considering they accompany Georgia as the only undefeated teams in the top 10. The Sooners snapped their streak of close games last week after crushing Texas Tech 52-21. The dominating performance wasn’t enough to make the case for them to slide into the top four though. The Sooners have the opportunity to plead their case this week as their next opponent will be one of their toughest. They travel to No. 16 Baylor for a highly anticipated Big 12 matchup.
Penn State isn’t ranked. The Nittany Lions were hopeful that they could sneak into the Top 25 following Kentucky, Mississippi State, Minnesota, and Fresno State all losing their matchups. Penn State missing from the Top 25 is notable considering 6-3 Auburn and Wisconsin are ranked even with losses to Penn State. Penn State’s 6-3 record is also identical to No. 19 Purdue, No. 24 Utah and No. 25 Arkansas.
Undefeated University of Texas at San Antonio made their first-ever appearance on the College Football Playoff Rankings, landing in at No. 23. The Roadrunners are off to the best start in program history. Overall the team is 9-0 and 5-0 in conference play. They are currently the third highest-ranked team from a Group of Five conference behind No. 5 Cincinnati and No. 22 San Diego State.
Up Next
College Football’s top four teams look to stay there following some marquee matchups this coming Saturday. Each team with the exception of Alabama is slated to face a conference opponent to maintain their reigns.
Up next, No. 1 Georgia travels to unranked Tennessee and looks to record their first 8-0 SEC run for the first time in school history.
No. 2 Alabama hosts New Mexico State in Tuscaloosa Saturday. The Crimson Tide are the overwhelming favorites but head coach Nick Saban said he is not overlooking his opponent. Saban said that New Mexico State is a dangerous team because of their passing offense.
The Washington State Cougars will travel to No. 3 Oregon for a PAC-12 matchup. The 5-4 Cougars currently rank fourth in the PAC-12.
No. 4 Ohio State hosts No. 19 Purdue for a Big 10 matchup. The Boilermakers are fresh off of their dominating upset over Michigan State. The team looks to make a three-game win streak while the Buckeyes will look to maintain their 8-1 record.
