Did the College Football Playoff get the first rankings right?

The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2018 season have just been released. This means it’s time to look at what the committee got right and wrong in these initial selections.

Let the debate begin. The first College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night and there was little surprise at the very top with Alabama and Clemson coming in at 1-2. However, beyond the Crimson Tide and Tigers is where the real debate can begin. With the playoff committee having a lot of new members this year, it’s important to track their rankings as the season progresses over the next five weeks. After one week, it’s clear they got a number of things right, but they also had some surprising revelations.

What the College Football Playoff committee got right?

Alabama and Clemson at 1-2. This was basically set in stone as these two powerhouses are both undefeated heading into Week 10. Alabama at No. 1 and Clemson at No. 2 should be expected every week unless one of them slips up but they look headed toward a third meeting in the National Championship Game.

Washington State at No. 8. The Cougars have been on a hot streak with big Pac-12 wins of late. They are perfectly positioned in front of teams like Kentucky and Ohio State who still have a lot to prove, and are deservedly behind Michigan, Georgia and Oklahoma. Washington State has put the Pac-12 back in the playoff hunt but still needs some help.

UCF at No. 12. This is a good spot for an undefeated UCF team that has no strong wins on their resume so far. UCF does not have a win against a team with a winning record so far this year, but as an undefeated team, they are still being taken seriously by the committee. They have a chance to prove themselves with a strong slate of opponents to finish out their season. For perspective, the Knights debuted at No. 18 last year.

What the College Football Playoff committee got wrong

LSU at 3 instead of Notre Dame. This was a surprise because it already shows how the playoff committee is valuing the SEC as a clearly more dominant conference this season. Notre Dame has a top five victory on their resume against Michigan and they are undefeated. It would have made more sense to have LSU jump Notre Dame if they beat Alabama this weekend instead of already placing a one-loss team ahead of an undefeated team with a strong resume.

Iowa State ranked but Houston isn’t. Houston has had a strong season so far behind quarterback D’Eriq King who’s led an offense that’s scored at least 40 points in all eight games this season. They deserved to get the nod as a top 25 team instead of a 4-3 Iowa State team that only has one top 25 win and a loss against an unranked TCU team.

NC State at 21 after two straight losses. NC State is ranked in front of both Boston College and Virginia. NC State did beat both of these teams earlier in the season, but after loses the last two weeks, the Wolfpack should not be considered ahead of their other two loss ACC counterparts. Virginia and Boston College are on the rise with a three-game winning streak for the Cavaliers and a two-game winning streak for the Eagles.

Overall, it is easy as college football fans to overreact to the first committee rankings of the season, but there is still a lot of college football left to play this season. The top 25 rankings five weeks from now will look completely different compared to the list we have now, so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.