Written by Tyler Pastorius
In the second week of the College Football Playoff rankings, there is no surprise in the top 4. The Tigers of LSU dropped out of the top 4 out due to losing to Alabama by a blowout score of 29-0. Taking the spot of LSU is Michigan but in the No. 4 spot (Notre Dame moves up to number 3). With LSU dropping this caused Georgia to move up into the No. 5 slot. The Bulldogs will have a marquee matchup on November 10th against No. 24 Auburn and of course the final matchup of the regular season against Alabama.
- Alabama (9-0) –
- Clemson (9-0) –
- Notre Dame (9-0) +1
- Michigan (8-1) +1
- Georgia (8-1) +1
- Oklahoma (8-1) +1
- LSU (7-2) -4
- Washington State (8-1) –
- West Virginia (7-1) +4
- Ohio State (8-1) –
- Kentucky (7-2) -2
- UCF (8-0) –
- Syracuse (7-2) +6
- NC State (6-2) +7
- Florida (6-3) -4
- Mississippi State (6-3) +2
- Boston College (7-2) +5
- Michigan State (6-3) NR
- Texas (6-3) -2
- Penn State (6-3) -6
- Iowa (6-3) -5
- Iowa State (5-3) +2
- Fresno State (8-1) –
- Auburn (6-3) NR
- Washington (7-3) NR
The biggest surprise on this entire list is Ohio State ranked at 10. Keep in mind the only loss is against Purdue. Again, I’d expect the Buckeyes to win out and then the last week against the Michigan Wolverines is a toss-up. With that being one of the biggest rivalries in not only college sports but all of the sports in general, it is going to simply come down to who makes the less number of mistakes on both sides of the ball. It is hard not to think (at least in my own opinion) that there isn’t some sort of bias against Ohio State for either some of the early on season controversy or just a natural hate against the school. LSU has two losses and only dropped four spots, in my opinion, Ohio State should be ranked higher than them or at least flip-flopped (IE Ohio State at #7 and LSU at #10). The strength of schedule plays a factor but for some reason, the committee seems to not put that into consideration for the Buckeyes.
One of my favorite things is hearing “Country Roads” being played after a West Virginia University victory and with how they have played so far this year it has earned them the No. 9 ranking right now with only one loss. With a 42-41 victory over Texas (on the road) that literally came down to a 2-point conversion to take the lead late in the 4th, I expect them to ride this high at least for the next two games. The last game of the regular season they face off against the currently ranked No. 6 Oklahoma which could have some playoff implications depending on how the rest of the nation does. Senior QB Will Grier will look to complete his impressive year and win-out for the rest of the Mountaineer schedule and build his NFL stock.
The Syracuse Orange moved up six spots to No. 13, with only two losses. One of them was against the No. 2 ranked Clemson Tigers but it was tightly contested at 27-23. Which means if the Orange keeps up with some great wins there is no doubt they can capture a top 10 ranking before the season is over. Then, on November 17th there is a huge matchup as they head to Yankee Stadium for a matchup against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in their annual Shamrock Series. A win there can drastically change the Playoff picture and Syracuse overall ranking.
Playoff Notes
First, UCF managed to stay perfect against Temple with a 52-40 victory. With the win, they managed to stay at the No. 12 spot. Yet, outside of the top 3 ranked teams in the nation, they are the only other undefeated team in the nation.
Secondly, for Alabama, they have four games left and three of them are against top 25 teams (Mississippi State, Auburn, and Georgia). Of course, the big game is Georgia but, if Alabama ends up losing one game how does that affect the Playoff picture?
Thirdly, we saw LSU lose twice now but are still ranked higher than Ohio State so that could be something that plays a piece for the Roll Tide later in the year in these rankings if they end up losing.
Lastly, there are three teams in the top 25 that are now ranked that weren’t previously. Surprisingly, with a 6-3 record, Michigan State jumped up to No. 18. One of those newly ranked teams were one of the teams I mentioned in last week’s analysis of the rankings, the Washington Huskies cracked in at the No. 25 spot.
With some newly added teams, a top 4 team losing, and a surprising hold in the same spot (for both Ohio State and UCF) these rankings are interesting and will continue to develop. Some of these teams may need some dominant performances to make a big impact in the Playoff picture unless a top 6 (most likely) team losses. What are your thoughts on the new rankings?
