If the College Football Playoff committee was hoping to silence its critics about its selection criteria, Tuesday’s updated rankings will likely do the exact opposite.
Ole Miss fell one spot in the rankings to No. 7. No. 6 Texas Tech vaulted over the Rebels after beating previously unbeaten BYU last week.
The top five teams also didn’t change, despite Indiana needing a pair of miracle catches to beat a Penn State team. The committee also kept Notre Dame, Texas and Oklahoma in its same order.
So, it’s clear the selection committee really hasn’t changed how it views criteria like strength of schedule and strength of record. If it did, the Red Raiders wouldn’t be ranked ahead of Ole Miss.
Look at what Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said Monday before the rankings came out.
“Texas A&M being No. 3 — what more could they do to be No. 1?” Kiffin asked rhetorically on Monday. “People always say schedule tough and they went to Notre Dame and won. But if that’s not rewarded, what’s the point? They have the highest metrics, and they’re still not No. 1. So I don’t know.”
Kiffin’s next media availability (SEC Teleconference on Wednesday) will be highly attended this week.
Something else to worry about is do the Rebels have a realistic chance to impress the committee in the final weeks enough to get back to No. 6?
Wins against Florida and Mississippi State aren’t likely to do it. The logical conclusion next would be that a loss wouldn’t be a death nail to the Rebels’ playoff hopes.
But we all know it would be because the criteria from last year hasn’t changed much.
College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings
- Ohio State (9-0)
- Indiana (10-0)
- Texas A&M (9-0)
- Alabama (8-1)
- Georgia (8-1)
- Texas Tech (9-1)
- Ole Miss (9-1)
- Oregon (8-1)
- Notre Dame (7-2)
- Texas (7-2)
- Oklahoma (7-2)
- BYU (8-1)
- Utah (7-2)
- Vanderbilt (8-2)
- Miami (7-2)
- Georgia Tech (8-1)
- USC (7-2)
- Michigan (7-2)
- Virginia (8-2)
- Louisville (7-2)
- Iowa (6-3)
- Pittsburgh (7-2)
- Tennessee (6-3)
- South Florida (7-2)
- Cincinnati (7-2)
