This is the second week of rankings, with the selection committee set to release them weekly for six total weeks.
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Despite having one loss on the year, Alabama’s recent victory over LSU was so convincing, the committee had no choice but to move the team to the No. 2 spot in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings.
Then we heard playoff committee representative Jeff Long make numerous silly statements covering up the issues of teams not in the Big 12.
The Hawkeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) are the second-highest rated Big Ten squad by the committee. Unbeaten Iowa rose four spots to No. 5.
Should this trend continue, the Big 12 will likely find itself once again on the outside looking in.
Just about the only way for the Tigers to crack open the door to the top four would be to win out, and have Alabama lose a game to advance LSU to the SEC championship game where it would beat Florida.
It feels a little like the committee drops a team for a loss based on how much it lost by, and less by means of putting the resume up for debate. The first problem is the back-loaded conference schedule, but the bigger issue is the bad non-conference scheduling each team has faced. It will give plenty of teams a chance to move up on them.
Consider the fact that Baylor, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and TCU have THREE combined wins over opponents with a winning record. A 13-0 Iowa is in the College Football Playoff. Iowa has run through this season undefeated, but no one seemed to want to talk about Iowa. LSU fell out of the top four after losing 30-16 to Alabama on Saturday, dropping from No. 2 to No. 9. The Fighting Irish are ranked 4th in the newest poll, moving up a spot from last weekend.
My observation of Iowa that day: Slow and lumbering, a stereotypical old school Big Ten team that hasn’t transitioned into the athletic skill level of an Ohio State or a MI State.
But if you look at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots Tuesday night, you see two familiar brand names.
“It’s Notre Dame”, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said.
Outside of the statement wins, the Cougars have taken care of business – a 59-14 win against Texas State, a 49-28 win over Tulane, a 59-10 win over UCF, etc. The point is – they’re not only beating teams that many think may be “above”, them, but they’re handling the teams that are obviously below them.
The committee has often emphasized “top-25 wins”, which can be a tricky thing to rely on for evaluations. It’s why we see No. 4 Notre Dame now in the playoff picture.
If the two, presumably undefeated, play a close Big Ten championship game, would the loser have a chance at making the CFP?
Iowa was arguably the biggest victor of the newest College Football Playoff rankings, jumping from nine to five after merely escaping Bloomington with a 35-27 win over the mighty Hoosiers. State, at Auburn, and then win the SEC title game. Now with Iowa sitting at No. 5 just one week later (and seemingly controlling its destiny, with Ohio State sitting at No. 3), that seems like a much safer bet. The top four teams qualify for the two semifinal games, which will be held at the Orange and Cotton bowls on December 31.
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Navy is the top Group of Five team.
