ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
On Tuesday night, the third edition of the College Football Ranking was released. No changes were made at the top of the ranking. Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State remain the top four teams in the country. However, with just three weeks left in the college football regular season, anything can happen.
CFP Selection Committee Chair Gary Barta spoke after the reveal of this week’s Top 25 rankings and also gave some insight to some of the committees decisions.
College Football Playoff Top Four Ranking:
https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff/status/1460764945260457985?s=20
The top seven teams –Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Michigan and Michigan State were all victorious in their Week 11 matchups, which allowed their rankings to remain unchanged.
Georgia tallied up an SEC road win against Tennessee to extended their undefeated record and improve to 10-0. Additionally, the 41-17 win marked Georgia’s first 8-0 SEC run for the first time in school history.
Further, Alabama is the unanimous No. 2 team following their performance over New Mexico State. The dominant 59-3 victory also set room for some record setting stats for the Crimson Tide. Quarterback Bryce Young became the first player in school history to throw five touchdowns in a single half. Three of the five went to Jameson Williams, who is now ranked first in the SEC for receiving yards with 1028.
No. 3 Oregon also brought out the rush attack to put Washington State away and clinch the Pac-12 North. Oregon picked up 306 yards on the ground with QB Anthony Brown leading with 123 yards. Additionally, the Ducks improved to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in conference play.
Ohio State also remains in the top four after a dominant showcase in Columbus Saturday. The Buckeyes hosted conference rival Purdue- who has upset two top five teams this season. The 59-31 win came from Ohio State’s capability to move the ball on the ground as well as in the air. The Buckeyes finished with 624 total yards, 361 passing and 263 rushing.
Week 11 Full Top 25 Ranking
1. Georgia (10-0)
2. Alabama (9-1)
3. Oregon (9-1)
4. Ohio State (9-1)
5. Cincinnati (10-0)
6. Michigan (9-1)
7. Michigan State (9-1)
8. Notre Dame (9-1)
9. Oklahoma State (9-1)
10. Wake Forest (9-1)
11. Baylor (8-2)
12. Mississippi (8-2)
13. Oklahoma (9-1)
14. BYU (8-2)
15. Wisconsin (6-3)
16. Texas A&M (7-3)
17. Iowa (8-2)
18. Pittsburgh (8-2)
19. San Diego State (9-1)
20. NC State (7-3)
21. Arkansas (7-3)
22. UTSA (10-0)
23. Utah (7-3)
24. Houston (9-1)
25. Mississippi State (6-4)
College Football Playoff Controversy Continues
Additionally, the mayhem in Michigan continues. Last week the CFP ranking stirred controversy following Michigan’s placement on the list. Michigan continues to be ranked ahead of Michigan State at spot No. 6 despite Michigan’s only loss of the season being to Michigan State. The Spartans defeated the Wolverines 37-33 in Spartan Stadium on Oct. 30.
I really don't know much about college football anymore but someone please tell me how the playoff committee put Michigan ahead of Michigan State. Especially when they rank Oregon ahead Ohio State because of Oregon's win at OSU. Am I missing something?
— Adam Aizer (@AdamAizer) November 17, 2021
Gary Barta addressed the controversy about the Michigan teams again Tuesday night on ESPN with Rece Davis. Barta continued to call Michigan the more “complete team” and said their recent road win played into the committees decision to rank them ahead of Michigan State.
Cincinnati Controversy
Aside from the Michigan debate, the case for Cincinnati to crack the top four continues. Last year Cincinnati went undefeated in the regular season. The team’s only loss came in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl game when they fell to Georgia 24-21. Fast forward to present day and many college football fans are calling for the team to rank behind Georgia in the CFP rankings.
One of the three remaining unbeaten teams in college football, Cincinnati holds at #5 for the second straight week in the @CFBPlayoff rankings.#Bearcats pic.twitter.com/W7KHe2SrcS
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) November 17, 2021
No.1 Georgia, No. 5 Cincinnati and No. 22 UTSA are the only undefeated teams on the Top 25 ranking. Many argue that it is obvious to place Cincinnati in the top four based off their continued success. However, Gary Barta also addressed Cincinnati’s placement on the list and said their strength of schedule is the biggest contributor to their ranking.
Looking Ahead
As the end of the regular college football season approaches, the playoff picture is still blurry. College Football’s top four teams look to stay there following some marquee matchups this coming Saturday. The season then closes out with rivalry week before the regular season officially concludes.
Georgia is at home for a non-conference matchup when they host Charleston Southern.
Alabama is slated for SEC play at home when they host No. 21 Arkansas.
Oregon will travel to No. 24 Utah for a PAC-12 matchup.
No. 7 Michigan State travels to Columbus and could potentially knock off No. 4 Ohio State from the top four and from playoff contention.
