My 5 takeaways from the first rankings that came out this week:
1. The SEC Bias is Real and Alive
How in the world is Georgia 9th? They have two terrible losses, and have no good wins. Their best win is against Auburn, but Auburn’s record (5-2) does not accurately describe them: they are not very good. There is absolutely no reason Georgia should be ninth, especially with how they have been playing their last month. Last weekend it took them until the end of the fourth quarter to score a go ahead touchdown against Mississippi State, who has won two games the entire season. They also have not found a steady quarterback yet. This ranking is a clear example of the SEC bias in the committee. If a Big 10 team had two bad losses and had beaten no one good, they might not even be in the top 20.
2. Clemson Gets the Love
Despite having a loss, Clemson was still placed above undefeated Ohio State. I do not agree with this placement, as each team has a win against a top 12 team, but Ohio State has yet to lose. The committee said that they are taking into consideration that Trevor Lawrence was out against Notre Dame, however, even if he was playing, I don’t think it would have changed the results. DJ Uiagalelei passed for over 400 yards, more than Lawrence ever has. Clemson has been off for over three weeks now, and their past three games they did not look all that good. I think Clemson has potential to be a playoff team, but the committee put them ahead of Ohio State just because of their success in recent years.
3. Oklahoma is Not Out Yet
Despite having two losses, Oklahoma was still ranked at #11. Even though Iowa State beat them head to head and have the same number of losses, the committee ranked the Sooners two spots above the Cyclones. Oklahoma has been having big wins recently, but most of them have come against really bad Big 12 opponents, like Kansas and Texas Tech. Oklahoma still has a bad defense and their quarterback Spencer Rattler often makes freshman mistakes. It looks like Oklahoma will end up making it back to the Big 12 championship game, but they already have two losses which sets them back. I think that the committee put Oklahoma so high to keep them in their back pocket just in case. They know Oklahoma is usually a playoff team, and they obviously think they might win the Big 12, so they are keeping Oklahoma pretty high up in case chaos ensues and they need to put in Oklahoma.
4. Pac 12 already eliminated
These rankings all but confirmed that the Pac 12 will not be receiving a playoff bid. The Pac 12 had two teams in the rankings, Oregon and Southern California, at 15 and 18. Oregon is definitely the best team in the Pac 12, and the committee is not ranking them high. Even if they win out, they will only have seven wins, and obviously that is not going to be enough. USC is somehow ranked 18, but they have looked really bad in their first few games and are sure to lose soon. Putting Oregon as high as 15 shows the committee does not feel high on the Pac 12.
5. UC>>>BYU
Both non power five teams are undefeated, but the committee ranked UC seven spots higher than BYU. BYU is 9-0 and has a quarterback who is a Heisman contender, but the committee made it clear with the 14th place ranking that their weak schedule will be an issue. The only real test BYU has faced thus far is Boise State, who they did blow out. BYU only has one game left, but says they are open to play anyone who is willing to. They were in talks to play Washington this week, which would have been a good win, but that fell out. UC is undefeated as well, but does have several resume boosting wins. They beat previously ranked Army and SMU, as well as usual AAC powerhouses UCF and Memphis. UC has one of the best defenses in the country, which is something the committee has rewarded in the past. The 7th place ranking is the highest the committee has ever ranked a non group of five team before, but I think their playoffs chances are still slim. Being put behind Texas A&M and Florida, both one loss SEC teams, shows that the committee values the SEC more. For UC to have a chance, they need Florida, Texas A&M, and Clemson to lose again.
Comentarios