I consider last week a win, as I had the same top three teams, in order, as the Playoff Committee had them. After that, things started to unravel, but if Meatloaf says “two out of three ain’t bad,” then three out of four has got to be okay.
The big difference between my rankings and the committee’s came from Notre Dame, who I had 11th. The committee placed them fifth, citing their difficult schedule. While the Irish have had their fair share of tough opponents (including a close loss to the top-seeded Tigers), it doesn’t outweigh what an undefeated Baylor team has done, in this writer’s honest opinion. Now, will Baylor continue to be the same juggernaut they were with Seth Russell? It’s too early to tell, but it doesn’t look likely. However, until they prove they aren’t, they still deserve to be higher than all one-loss teams, save for Alabama.
If you’re new to these rankings or need a refresher on how they work, you can find the explanation here.
The Rankings
- Clemson (Record: 8-0 | Non-AP Rank: 1 | Score: 100.00 | Prior Rank: 1): It wasn’t necessarily the most dominant win for the Tigers, but it was the last significant obstacle for Clemson to conquer on their way to the playoffs. Barring an upset from in-state rival South Carolina or in the ACC Championship, we will be seeing Dabo Swinney buying pizza by the truckload in December.
- Alabama (8-1| 2 | 97.06 | 5): This year is just another example that the only time you can count out Nick Saban’s team is when it’s mathematically eliminated. Thanks to Arkansas, they now control their own destiny and are looking playoff bound.
- Ohio State (9-0 | 3 | 95.39| 3): What have the last few weeks taught us about the Buckeyes? Apparently, the only way to stop them is to set up a checkpoint. (h/t to the College Gameday sign.)
- Iowa (9-0 | 4 | 90.83 | 7): The Hawkeyes find themselves atop the tightly-packed group of four vying for that fourth and final playoff spot. Will the committee place them here? Not likely, but with a chance to prove themselves against the Buckeyes in December, they can force their way in when it matters.
- Baylor (8-0 | 8 | 89.91 | 6): Jarrett Stidham will have to drastically improve from his first start as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU all await the true freshman.
- Oklahoma State (9-0 | 6 | 89.39 | 14): The Pokes had a truly impressive showing Saturday against the Horned Frogs, but they can’t let their guard down. Iowa State would be more than happy to end their dream season, just as they did in 2011.
- Notre Dame (8-1 | 9 | 88.57| 11): I am admittedly harsh on the Irish – I feel their history tends to inflate their present ability – but if they can find a way to finish 11-1 and win at Stanford, I’ll join the bandwagon. However, if the Cardinal embarrass the Irish, be prepared for me to say, “I told you so.”
- LSU (7-1 | 5 | 87.67 | 2): Tough loss for LSU, who just couldn’t get anything going against the Bama defense. Leonard Fournette’s 31 yards and 1.6 YPC are both career-lows for games in which he rushed the ball at least 10 times.
- Stanford (8-1 | 10 | 87.37 | 12): Currently seventh in the committee rankings, the Cardinal should be able to push their way into the playoffs if they can win convincingly against the Ducks, Irish and in the Pac-12 championship.
- Oklahoma (8-1 | 7 | 85.92 | 15): The Sooners put together another 50-plus point game and now sit just five points behind Baylor for the largest point differential in the nation.
- Florida (8-1 | 11 | 84.64 | 9): A 9-7 win over Vanderbilt sounds like the most unwatchable football game of the season. The lone bright spot was they clinched the SEC East.
- Utah (8-1 | 14 | 83.55 | 13): Since their 42-point win over the Ducks, the Utes average margin of victory has been just 12 points in the four wins.
- Michigan State (8-1 | 13 | 83.29 | 4): I warned Sparty last week to not get caught looking ahead. But did they listen? NOOOOO!!! (They may have gotten a bum rap, but still, Nebraska just lost to Purdue. This shouldn’t have been close.)
- Houston (9-0 | 12 | 81.51 | 16): The Cougars better step up their game against Memphis and Navy if they want to keep a zero in the loss column. Cincinnati is decent, but they shouldn’t have been within three points of Houston on the road.
- TCU (8-1 | 19 | 80.00 | 8): Congratulations TCU, you win this week’s No-Show Award!
- Michigan (7-2 | 17 | 79.01 | 19): “Karma.” That had to be the most popular word in Ann Arbor Saturday night.
- North Carolina (8-1 | 18 | 77.22 | 21): After thumping Duke, UNC is one win and a Pittsburgh loss away from clinching their seat in the ACC Championship.
- Navy (7-1 | 15 | 77.21 | 26): Congrats to the Midshipmen, who are ranked for the first time in nearly 11 years after they dominated a previously-undefeated Memphis squad.
- Memphis (8-1 | 16 | 74.99 | 10): With a trip to Houston this week, the Tigers can’t sit around licking their wounds (pardon the cat pun).
- Mississippi State (7-2 | 20 | 74.67 | 23): I should probably send my condolences to Hail State now. With them facing Alabama this weekend, this will likely be the last time we see them in the top 25.
- UCLA (7-2 | 20 | 72.51 | 28): The Bruins are about as predictable as cold sore flare-up (so I’ve been told). This week, they could either blow the doors off Wazzou at home or lose by 20. Neither would surprise me.
- Temple (8-1 | 22 | 71.98 | 22): The one detriment to the Owls having a breakout season has been the increase of Bill Cosby jokes.
- Wisconsin (8-2 | 21 | 71.81 | 25): The Badgers are an excruciatingly boring team. They will put you to sleep quicker than a Cosby martini.
- Florida State (7-2 | 27 | 70.94 | 20): Besides a decent bowl game, the only thing left for the Seminoles to play for is spoiling any playoff chances for the Gators when they meet in three weeks.
- Ole Miss (7-3 | 23 | 69.44 | 18): When you can’t stop a lateral play on 4th-and-25, you deserve to lose.
AP Teams Who Missed the Cut
This week’s lone AP Top 25 team to miss my rankings was Northwestern (28). They forced themselves back into the AP top 25 after a two-point win against Penn State, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their 32nd-placed ranking from a week ago.
Oregon Teams Update
The Ducks (42) seems to have found a rhythm, albeit a weak one. They have now won three straight, but only by a combined 28 points. With Stanford and USC up next, they enter the toughest two-week stretch of the season.
Oregon State continues to sink lower and lower. They come in at 107th this week, 13 spots behind the next Pac-12 team (Colorado). They currently sit at 2-7 and will be decent underdogs at best in each of their remaining games.
Other Notable Teams
USC (26) was just a smidge behind Ole Miss … Toledo fell 10 spots to 27th after their upset at the hands of Northern Illinois (45) … Western Kentucky (29) continues to have a great season, even garnering AP votes this week … Bowling Green’s (31) 45.9 points per game puts them among the best offensive teams in the country … Appalachian State (33) lost last week but continues to lead the Sun Belt … Boise State (34) still sits atop the Mountain West … Kentucky is now at 84th, 31 spots behind Louisville (53) … South Carolina (93) is still the worst team in the SEC … and our Bottom Five for the week are: Wyoming/Why Bother? (124), Eastern Michigan, North Texas, Kansas and UCF (128), the nation’s first 10-loss team this season.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
