The first week of College Football Playoff rankings provided plenty of controversy as the selection committee placed a one-loss Texas A&M (SEC) team ahead of the undefeated Washington Huskies (Pac-12) in the season’s inaugural top-25 rankings.
A lot of people around the country thought that Texas A&M (7-2) was overrated and shouldn’t have jumped over an undefeated Huskies team. Well, it didn’t take long for the Aggies to prove everyone right as they went on the road and lost to Mississippi State (35-28) in a game that really wasn’t that close.
So with Texas A&M now likely out of playoff contention, Washington is now a lock for the fourth and final playoff spot right?
Well, in the words of Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend!”
Ohio State, one of the country’s premier college football brands, picked up another impressive victory as the Buckeyes completely obliterated then-No.10 Nebraska 62-3 this past weekend.
So now the questions is… will the committee put a one-loss Ohio State team over an undefeated Washington squad?
I believe so and this is why.
The committee loves to look at a teams strength of schedule and that has been something that was talked about ad nauseam. While there are other factors involved, SOS is the driving force.
And as of right now, Ohio State has the better resume, and it’s not even close.
The Buckeyes have wins over No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 10 Nebraska, and at No. 14 Oklahoma with its only loss coming at the hands of No. 12 Penn State on the road. Ohio State’s strength of schedule comes in as the 28th toughest schedule in the country.
Meanwhile, Washington’s best win came on the road to No. 16 Utah for its only Top 25 win of the season. It doesn’t help either that its non-conference schedule (Rutgers, Idaho, Portland State) was one of the worst in all of college football. The Huskies strength of schedule comes in at 68th in the country, which doesn’t even come close to the Buckeyes. But the Huskies will have a chance to make a statement as College Gameday come to town as they host USC this weekend.
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Washington crack into the top four, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Ohio State pull a Texas A&M move and jump ahead of the Huskies based on SOS. That’s the biggest reason why Texas A&M made the made and the committee would be completely contradicting itself from last week if Ohio St isn’t No. 4.
My Top 10 projections (based on what committee will likely do on Tuesday)
* Rankings based on last week’s (Week 1) CFP rankings
- Alabama (9-0)
Best wins: vs. No. 4 Texas A&M, at No. 13 LSU, vs. USC, at Arkansas
Losses: None
2. Clemson (9-0)
Best wins: vs. No. 7 Louisville, at No. 9 Auburn, at No. 22 Florida State
Losses: None
3. Michigan (9-0)
Best wins: vs. No. 8 Wisconsin, vs. No. 12 Penn State, vs. No. 15 Colorado
Losses: None
4. Ohio State (8-1)
Best wins: at No. 7 Wisconsin, vs. No. 10 Nebraska, at No. 14 Oklahoma
Losses: at No. 12 Penn State
5. Washington (9-0)
Best wins: at No. 16 Utah, vs. Stanford
Losses: None
6. Louisville (8-1)
Best wins: vs. No. 22 Florida State
Losses: at No. 2 Clemson
7. Wisconsin (7-2)
Best wins: vs. No. 10 Nebraska, vs. No. 13 LSU
Losses: at No. 3 Michigan, vs. No. 6 Ohio State
8. Auburn (7-2)
Best wins: vs. No. 13 LSU, vs. Arkansas
Losses: vs. No. 2 Clemson, at No. 4 Texas A&M
9. Texas A&M (7-2)
Best wins: vs. No. 9 Auburn, vs. Tennessee, vs. Arkansas
Losses: at No. 1 Alabama, at Mississippi State
10. Penn State (7-2)
Best wins: vs. No. 6 Ohio State, vs. Iowa
Losses: at No. 3 Michigan, at Pittsburgh
