The release of the latest College Football Playoff rankings has once again set off a firestorm of debate and controversy across the college football landscape. While the top contenders like Oregon, Alabama, and Texas held serve in their lofty positions, a number of other schools are crying foul over what they perceive as slights and unjustified drops.
Perhaps no team is feeling more aggrieved than the Miami Hurricanes. Firmly in the playoff mix just a couple weeks ago, the Canes tumbled from 4th to 8th after a close loss, only to see Alabama jump them this week despite Miami not even playing. Did the committee send a message that the ACC is just a one-bid league regardless of resume? Miami has a strong case, with 4 top-40 wins and a better loss than either Bama or Notre Dame ahead of them.
Evaluating Strength of Schedule
The rankings also shined a light on the challenges of comparing teams with vastly different strengths of schedule. Undefeated Big 12 newcomer Texas finds itself third, ahead of a slew of SEC teams with much more impressive wins. In fact, the Longhorns have played only two winning Power 4 opponents all year.
Is simply having one loss really enough to justify Texas’ lofty ranking over more battle-tested one and two-loss teams? The eye test from their blowout loss to Georgia suggests otherwise.
– A source close to the committee discussions
BYU and Boise State Stir Debate
The BYU Cougars are also feeling snubbed after falling 8 spots to 14th after a close loss at 5-loss Kansas. While not a great loss, BYU’s body of work includes three wins over bowl-eligible Power 4 teams, which compares favorably to others ranked ahead of them like Notre Dame, Boise State, and Miami. The Cougars are now staring up at a Boise State team angling for a first round bye despite beating zero power conference teams with a winning record.
Snubs and Surprises
Other teams with an axe to grind include 8-2 Arizona State, again slotted well behind a Colorado team with an identical record and a blowout loss to Nebraska. The rankings of Tulane, UNLV, and Army also raised eyebrows, with the elevated status of non-power conference teams sure to have SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey plotted his revenge. And of course, Georgia at 10th seems utterly baffling.
While there were no seismic shakeups at the very top, the third playoff rankings provided plenty of fodder for debate. As the pivotal final weeks play out and the contenders aim to strengthen their resumes, it’s clear the committee still has some explaining to do about its methods and madness. The only certainty is that the arguments and controversy are far from over.
