Breaking down the Committee Rankings: Who can play their way in?
The 2nd rankings for the College Football Playoff Committee are out. There weren’t
many teams surprising the top 4 with Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame penciling their names in the playoff with their resume to date.
What is far more interesting is the analysis of the movement of the teams following them.
The top 25 is well represented by all conferences.
ACC: 3
SEC: 4
B1G: 6
Big12: 4
PAC12: 3
CUSA: 4
Ind: 1
Let’s breakdown some of the potential candidates who can slide into the Top 4 if they take care of business. These programs may not be the flashiest, but they essentially control their own destiny. They may need to win impressively, but won’t need much help outside of their own performance.
Iowa: Last week they barely had their foot in the top 10 due to “uncertainty” surrounding their offense. This week, after a win against Indiana, “they are solid on both sides of the ball.” Both of those statements can be directly attributed to Jeff Long. The Hawkeyes seem poised to win the B1G West and there is no reason to doubt that logic at this point.
Baylor: They stood pat in the 6 slot after a lackluster performance on Thursday night against Kansas State. Freshman QB Jarrett Stidham looked impressive, but it is obvious the Committee is refusing to rank the Bears until they have a substantial win. They will get their chance with TCU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the horizon.
Stanford: After watching Stanford it is absolutely perplexing to understand how the Cardinal only scored six points against Northwestern in their opening game. With Christian McCaffrey quietly putting together a Heisman resume, David Shaw’s squad can play their way in with wins against Notre Dame to cap the season and a potential matchup with Utah in the PAC 12 Championship.
Oklahoma State: Mike Riley’s bunch struck first blood in the Big 12 with their undressing of TCU on Saturday. A performance that few expected catapulted the Cowboys into the 8th position. With Baylor a few weeks away and a battle with instate rival Oklahoma to close the season, the Cowboys can most likely play their way in with an impressive finish.
Florida: Jim McElwain’s squad is being over looked for their chances to slide into the College Football Playoff. Lurking just outside the top 10, the Gators finish the regular season with instate rival Florida State and have a potential top four team waiting for them from the SEC West for the SEC Championship. With impressive wins, the Committee will be forced to use the eye test and overlook a struggling offense led by Treon Williams.
Oklahoma: The Sooners will have a chance to play their way in. The Committee has shown that they will look past a bad loss with an impressive resume and great performances. They are a long shot, but so were the Buckeyes at this point last season.
There are the outsiders who have a legitimate shot of playing their way into the College Football Playoff. LSU and Utah were intentionally omitted because it looks like they will need more help than just their own performance to secure a spot. It was just a brief overview, and it will be fluid every week. Beau Bishop will be joining me for Episode 5 of According to Carp that will be dropping on November 11th. Enjoy.