The College Football Playoff committee released their second-ranking today and there wasn’t much change. Some shifting in the rankings outside the top 10, but inside there was barely anything. The only change was Iowa State moving to 9 and Northwestern moving to 14. Northwestern Wildcats lost to the Michigan State Spartans and the Cyclones survived against the Longhorns. Another big moved was Oklahoma State who climbed 8 spots to number 15. So what are the biggest takeaways from the committee’s new rankings?
1. Buckeye Respect
Ohio State is only 4-0 with 2 games left on their schedule before the Big 10 championship. They have no more room to cancel games because you have to play 6 games to make the championship in the Big 10. Their first three opponents have a combined record of 4-13. Their only quality win was against Indiana who they barely escaped against. Indiana also lost their starting QB to a torn ACL which should limit them for the rest of the year. So should OSU really be the four seed in the CFP? The short answer is simply no. Teams behind the Buckeyes have passed the eye test dominating the teams they have played. The OSU schedule should be viewed like the committee view BYU. Although I’ll say this right now if Ohio State can’t get 6 wins on their schedule to make the championship, they will not get in the playoffs.
2. The Committee Isn’t Listening to You
This one might be a tough pill to swallow, but it is factually based on the release of the second rankings. The reaction to the first rankings was why was BYU so behind. The entire country had a consensus that the Cougars should have been higher up on the rankings and this did not happen. Now I do believe that the Cougars have good reason to be ranked where they are. Although most of the country is on the other side of that argument. The committee moved BYU one spot this week showing us one thing and one thing only. They don’t care about what everyone else says. They are going to continue to talk in the room and block out outside noise which I believe is the right thing to do. The committee is playing this fairly and I think this is a positive sign from them.
3. Big 12 RESPECT
The Big 12 made two big jumps for barely winning games over the weekend. Why does the committee respect them so much more than conferences like the American, Pac 12, and Big 10? GAMES! I think we are starting to see a trend here from the committee that we should be able to follow for the rest of the season. Playing more games matter more than the number of losses that are on your schedule. Iowa State just moved into the top 10 after losing the whole game to Texas before finally winning late. They jumped Miami and OU into the top 10 which was a bit surprising considering they didn’t blow out the Longhorns. Oklahoma State also moved eight spots this week into the top 15 with a tight escape against the Red Raiders. The committee clearly respects the Big 12 because of the number of games that are being played. The conference has tended to be on the more negative side of the committee. This year they are clearly in front leaving them in the playoff mix once again.
Top Picture by College Football Rankings