College Football Playoff predictions: How the rankings will look vs. how they should look

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will give us our first rankings Tuesday night and they likely will not look like they should.

The first official rankings of the College Football Playoff will be unveiled Tuesday evening. Though these rankings are not the most important rankings of the season, they are the most important up to this point. They will give us a better understanding of what is important to the Selection Committee and what is not. Until now, we have had to rely on what the AP voters and the Coaches Poll tell us. Expect to see a bit of movement with Tuesday nights’ unveiling.

Projected College Football Playoff Rankings for Week 13

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0)
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-0)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0)
4. Clemson Tigers (7-1)
5. Florida Gators (6-1)
6. Texas A&M Aggies (5-1)
7. Oregon Ducks (3-0)
8. Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0)
9. BYU Cougars (9-0)
10. Northwestern Wildcats (5-0)
11. Miami Hurricanes (7-1)
12. Georgia Bulldogs (5-2)
13. Indiana Hoosiers (4-1)
14. Oklahoma Sooners (6-2)
15. Iowa State Cyclones (6-2)
16. USC Trojans (3-0)
17. Wisconsin Badgers (2-1)
18. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (8-0)
19. Marshall Thundering Herd (7-0)
20. Auburn Tigers (5-2)
21. Texas Longhorns (5-2)
22. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-2)
23. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-2)
24. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-1)
25. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (7-1)

The top four will be a shock to absolutely no one. What will be a bit of a shock in the top six is the Selection Committee will have the Florida Gators as the first team out over the Texas A&M Aggies, a team who beat them head-to-head. This will be because the Selection Committee will want to ensure the SEC Championship game between Alabama and Florida certainly gets a team in.

Though Texas A&M’s chances of getting in are not impossible, not coming in as the first team out does not help them walk a narrow tightrope in these next few weeks. While the BYU Cougars and the Cincinnati Bearcats do belong in the top 10, the Selection Committee will rig it to ensure the Oregon Ducks and the Northwestern Wildcats are in there for some more Power 5 flexibility.

“The Correct” College Football Playoff Rankings for Week 13

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0)
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-0)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0)
4. Clemson Tigers (7-1)
5. Texas A&M Aggies (5-1)
6. Florida Gators (6-1)
7. Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0)
8. BYU Cougars (9-0)
9. Miami Hurricanes (7-1)
10. Northwestern Wildcats (5-0)
11. Oregon Ducks (3-0)
12. Indiana Hoosiers (4-1)
13. Georgia Bulldogs (5-2)
14. Oklahoma Sooners (6-2)
15. Iowa State Cyclones (6-2)
16. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (8-0)
17. Marshall Thundering Herd (7-0)
18. USC Trojans (3-0)
19. Wisconsin Badgers (2-1)
20. Texas Longhorns (5-2)
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-2)
22. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-2)
23. Auburn Tigers (5-2)
24. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-1)
25. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (7-1)

What the Selection Committee should do is keep the Aggies ahead of the Gators as long as they both have a single loss on their resumes. If Florida is the No. 6-seeded team and beats Alabama in the SEC Championship, the Gators are going to get in anyway, but by having the Aggies enter the initial rankings at No. 5, it opens the door for Texas A&M to sneak in as a one-loss, at-large team.

Admittedly, we are not comfortable with putting either BYU or Cincinnati in the top six just yet. Have they earned a spot, though? Maybe, but again, neither have played the schedule Florida or Texas A&M has. To round out the top 10, the Miami Hurricanes and Northwestern should be No. 9 and No. 10, respectively. Oregon needs to play more games for us to believe they are worthy of it.

Here is to seeing what the College Football Playoff Selection Committee decides Tuesday night.

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