The first CFP rankings for 2021 certainly had college football media buzzing as the College Football Playoff picture took its first shape.
The first batch of 2021 CFP rankings have arrived. After nine weeks of the season, we got our first taste of how the College Football Playoff committee sees things playing out so far and, potentially moving forward.
While there were surprises throughout, perhaps most notably with Oklahoma coming in at No. 8 behind one-loss Michigan, the top six teams were revealed in the first CFP rankings and were as so: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Michigan State, 4. Oregon, 5. Ohio State, 6. Cincinnati.
Given all of the surprises, you can bet that the college football media had something to say about our first look at the possible College Football Playoff.
College football media reacts to the first CFP rankings of 2021
1. Georgia (in with a loss to Alabama in SECCG)
— Patrick Schmidt (@PatrickASchmidt) November 2, 2021
2. Alabama (win out and in)
3. Michigan State (win out and in, 1 loss done)
4. Oregon (win out and in, m a y b e)
5. Ohio State (win out and in)
6. Cincinnati (win out and pray)
Georgia #1, very surprising.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 2, 2021
the Big Ten is getting SEC treatment in this CFP ranking (backloading to eventually prop up the top team's resumes)
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 2, 2021
Wow. Oklahoma at No. 8. Oh boy
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 2, 2021
LOLLLLLLLklahoma
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) November 2, 2021
Buddy, Cincinnati has problems.
— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) November 2, 2021
If Cincinnati can't make the CFP this year, then the G5 will never make it until the inevitable expansion.
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) November 2, 2021
Haaaaaate Alabama being No. 2. Hate it. Too early for a one-loss team to be that high.
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) November 2, 2021
Bama Brand Strong
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) November 2, 2021
8-0 Wake Forest getting the G5 treatment at #9.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 2, 2021
.@UTSAFTBL i am so sorry
— Jack Crosby (@JCrosbyCBS) November 2, 2021
Amazing to rank Wisconsin but not UTSA.
— Adam Silverstein (@SilversteinAdam) November 2, 2021
Head to head matters!!
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 2, 2021
Oregon No. 4 is a huge indication that committee has them right in the same ballpark as Ohio State.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 2, 2021
lmao you wild’n, keep going tho @CFBPlayoff
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) November 2, 2021
There was a lot to unpack in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
For starters, the fact that Cincinnati was left out of the top four (and even the top five!) of the first CFP rankings had everyone up in arms. That was exacerbated by the fact that the undefeated Bearcats were leap-frogged by three one-loss teams: Alabama (most notably), Oregon and Ohio State.
Beyond that, Oklahoma not passing the eye test and coming in at No. 8 was a shock to many people. Moreover, many members of the college football media were lamenting the fact that UTSA, though undefeated, didn’t even crack the top 25 of the rankings.
Of course, the one thing that no one was surprised about was Georgia being at No. 1. That was easy money as no one is in the vicinity of the Bulldogs so far this season.
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