College Football Playoff rankings, Week 11: 3 takeaways
By John Buhler
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee released its second top 25 ahead of Week 11. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the latest rankings.
On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee released the second top 25 rankings before the Week 11 slate of games. While there were no changes to the top four with the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (9-0), the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0), the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) and the No. 4 Clemson Tigers (8-1) all holding serve, the Selection Committee did reveal a few things this week.
There are still only five undefeated teams left in FBS football. Those teams are No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Alabama, the No. 7 Miami Hurricanes (8-0), the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (9-0) and the No. 18 UCF Knights (8-0). Georgia has already won the SEC East. Alabama is in the driver’s seat to win the SEC West. Miami leads in the ACC Coastal. Wisconsin is the top dog in the Big Ten West. UCF looks to be the favorite to get the Group of 5 New Year’s Six bowl nod.
While the latest rankings don’t tell us a lot at the top, if we look a little below the surface and dissect it a little bit, we can find something to sink our teeth into. We’re going to do just that with the three biggest takeaways from the latest revealing of the College Football Playoff rankings.
3. Look at you, Big 12, getting both of those first two out spots!
Who says the Big 12 doesn’t play real football? The Selection Committee doesn’t seem to find the conference’s lack of defense indefensible, as it put its two best teams as the first two out. Holding steady at No. 5 is the Oklahoma Sooners (8-1). No way the Selection Committee would drop them after winning the Bedlam Series over the in-state rival No. 15 Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2).
Moving up two spots from No. 8 to No. 6 is the TCU Horned Frogs (8-1). Having just messed with the Texas Longhorns, TCU is in a good spot at No. 6 where it can make the College Football Playoff if it wins out. Fate would have it that TCU meets Oklahoma in Norman on Saturday night in a huge primetime spot on FOX.
What helps the Sooners and the Horned Frogs’ cases to make the playoff, assuming that they meet again in the Big 12 Championship Game, is that the Selection Committee still respects the teams these two Big 12 frontrunners have played.
Oklahoma beat the No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) in Columbus badly. TCU and Oklahoma handed Oklahoma State both of its losses this year. Though with three losses, the Selection Committee still loves the No. 21 Iowa State Cyclones (6-3). How could you not appreciate the coaching job Matt Campbell is doing in Ames? Beating both Oklahoma and TCU gives the Cyclones major clout this year.
Overall, it was a great week for Big 12 football, even though it doesn’t have a team in just year. TCU at Oklahoma is one of the can’t miss games of the weeks. It has the potential to be a top-five game all year.