First CFP Rankings Out – What’s the Deal?

It’s finally that time of year – the first official College Football Playoff rankings are out, and as always, have brought with them debate and controversy.

This year, the rankings are different from previous years. While in the past the rankings were the playoff field, this year the two are separate. As a reminder, the top four playoff seeds will come from the four conference champions. Another seed will be the highest ranked G5 conference champion. The other seven teams will be based on the committee’s rankings.

Let’s break it all down.

No Surprise Here

Most of the teams at the top aren’t very surprising. At number one, 9-0 Oregon. The Ducks have been a force this season, especially since their 32-31 victory over Ohio State on Oct. 12. Their offense and defense have been in perfect sync, with some of the highest level of complementary play in the country.

The 2024 @oregonfootball team is truly complete team. This team is playing complimentary football and is such a dangerous football team. #OregonDucks pic.twitter.com/Pc3gmJb30D

— SportSource Analytics (@SportSourceA) November 4, 2024

At No. 2, Oregon’s new Big 10 rival – the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Outside of that Oct. 12 loss, it’s been a relatively clean season for them. They’re coming off their biggest win of the season this past Saturday, as they took down a Penn State team that was ranked third in the AP Poll 20-13. Unlike in years past, the driving force of this team is their No. 2-ranked total defense.

Ohio State Stats National Rankings…. Week 11

Scoring Offense- #15
Rushing Offense- #34
Passing Offense- #28
Total Offense- #14

Scoring Defense- #3
Rushing Defense- #7
Passing Defense- #8
Total Defense- #2

— Jeremiah (@SYRmotsag) November 3, 2024

Rounding out the top five, it’s No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Texas. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as these teams are either undefeated (Miami) or have established a level of dominance that must be noted (Georgia, Texas).

Controversy – What a Surprise

Who could’ve seen it coming – the CFP Rankings are controversial? No, it can’t be. Well, it indeed is, and much of that controversy exists between the No. 6 to No. 9 spots.

In order from six to nine – Penn State, Tennessee, Indiana and BYU.

Penn State and Tennessee are both one-loss teams who have looked shaky at times this season. For Penn State, it’s the Ohio State loss on Saturday. For Tennessee, it’s been multiple games.

Earlier in the year, the Vols fell to Arkansas 19-14. The following week, they found themselves in an overtime game against a Florida team whose starting quarterback, Graham Mertz, went down with a season-ending injury in the third quarter of the game.

Behind them are Indiana and BYU, who are both undefeated. Indiana is atop the Big 10 standings (even over Oregon), which means they would make the conference championship game and face the Ducks if the season ended right now. Not only is the team 9-0, but they’re dominating their opponents.

Booger McFarland on ESPNs CFP Ranking reveal show: "I think Indiana is the most disrespected team in the country." #iufb

— Alec Lasley (@allasley) November 6, 2024

Of course, that’s the biggest criticism of the Hoosiers – they haven’t played any ranked opponents yet. That question will be answered on Nov. 23 when they play Ohio State, but as of right now it still exists.

Some are arguing that, if that’s the logic to hold Indiana down, then BYU should be ranked higher. Their path has been tougher and has included ranked teams, yet they’re still 8-0 and first in the Big 12.

The clear brand bias of CFP committee is striking…If you want to rank off eye test that is fine, but have a set and watch @IndianaFootball without bias…If you want to rank off resume then have a set and rank @BYUfootball higher than those that don't touch their ranked wins

— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) November 6, 2024

What would a Playoff Look like Based on these Rankings?

Rounding out the top 12 are Notre Dame at No. 10, Alabama at No. 11 and Boise State at No. 12. So, what would the 12-team playoff look like if the season ended today (and rankings correlated with conference champions)?

The top four seeds, again, would be the conference champions. No. 1 would be Big 10 champion Oregon, No. 2 would be SEC champion Georgia, No. 3 would be ACC champion Miami and No. 4 would be Big 12 champion BYU. These four would have first-round byes, meaning they automatically advance to the second round.

In the No. 5 spot would be the highest ranked non-conference champion – Ohio State. They would face the No. 12 team, which in this case would be Boise State. Based on these rankings, Boise State is the highest ranked G5 conference champion (and the only one in the top 12), so they would get an automatic bid.

No. 6 would be Texas, who’d face No. 11 Alabama in an SEC battle. Penn State, at No. 7, would get No. 10 Notre Dame. No. 8 Tennessee would have No. 9 Indiana, who would have a chance to prove themselves as more than simply beneficiaries of an easy schedule.

The first CFP bracket projection with the 12-team playoff era has dropped 🏈 pic.twitter.com/HXK3syhbEE

— ESPN (@espn) November 6, 2024

There’s still a lot of season left, and these rankings will change, but as of right now, this is where things stand in the College Football world.