College Football Playoff Rankings: 3 teams ranked too high, 3 teams ranked too low for Week 13

We are approaching the stretch run, folks, which means every single game counts — especially for those on the College Football Playoff rankings bubble. Only 12 teams can crack the final field, determined entirely in secret by a group of NCAA elder statesmen with their fingers on the pulse (allegedly). There is no way to rank 12 (much less 25) college football teams without encouraging a little discourse.

The latest top 25 from the selection committee is not short on controversy. The 12th week of this college football season was rather chaotic, with several high-stakes outcomes. Georgia-Tennessee naturally soaked up headlines, but Oregon, Texas, BYU, and Washington State all hit road bumps of varying sizes.

Here is how the latest CFP rankings shook out:

1. Oregon Ducks (11-0)
2. Ohio State. Buckeyes (9-1)
3. Texas Longhorns (9-1)
4. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-1)
5. Indiana Hoosiers (10-0)
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1)
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-2)
8. Miami Hurricanes (8-1)
9. Ole Miss Rebels (8-2)
10. Georgia Bulldogs (8-2)
11. Tennessee Volunteers (8-2)
12. Boise State Broncos (9-1)
13. SMU Mustangs (9-1)
14. BYU Cougars (9-1)
15. Texas A&M Aggies (8-2)
16. Colorado Buffaloes (8-2)
17. Clemson Tigers (8-2)
18. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-3)
19. Army Black Knights (9-0)
20. Tulane Green Wave (9-2)
21. Arizona State Sun Devils (8-2)
22. Iowa State Cyclones (8-2)
23. Missouri Tigers (7-3)
24. UNLV Rebels (8-2)
25. Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3)

Not much here is surprising, That doesn't mean there aren't points up for debate, as the selection committee has an increasingly long history of selective ignorance and unmitigated bias. So, let's dive into the teams ranked too high and too low ahead of Thanksgiving.

Missouri Tigers are ranked way too high at No. 23

What are we doing here? The selection committee can't seem to quit the Missouri Tigers. There is an understandable desire to credit SEC teams with the benefit of the doubt (or the benefit of strong schedules), but Missouri hasn't actually beat anyone this season.

With three losses to their only ranked opponents — Texas A&M, Alabama, and South Carolina — Mizzou has failed each and every major test. The Tigers were on the wrong end of a 34-0 blowout against Bama a couple weeks ago. Faced with a chance to finally topple a true SEC power this weekend, the Tigers couldn't quite finish the job against the Gamecocks. It has been disappointment after disappointment when the Tigers play a real team.

Missouri's best win this season is a three-point squeaker over Vanderbilt, which, sure. That deserved credit at the time. When canvassing the admittedly loaded SEC, however, we have never been able to take the Tigers seriously. In the effort of fairness to other conferences, let's stop letting Mizzou hang around.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish are ranked way too low at No. 6

Beyond No. 1 Oregon, Notre Dame's record stacks up with any so-called contender. That early loss to Northern Illinois stings, and the selection committee sure won't let them forget about it. But, aside from that one early blunder, the Fighting Irish have been utterly dominant. Marcus Freeman has his team playing sharp, connected football. Saturday's 35-14 win over Virginia marked three straight wins of 20-plus points for Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish have spent most of their season stomping out quality opponents. Louisville at its peak, the now-popular Georgia Tech a few weeks ago, a complete smackdown of previously-undefeated Navy. These are impressive W's, rounded out by their Week 1 victory over Texas A&M.

A Week 13 showdown with undefeated Army is the final test. A win proves the Fighting Irish are real; a loss obviously turns the entire CFP field upside down. Strength of record does not quite land on Notre Dame's side, but in terms of momentum and the way the Fighting Irish are winning these games, it's hard to bet against them.

Miami Hurricanes are ranked way too high at No. 8

We need an ACC team in the CFP and Miami still has the best resume on paper. That said, the Hurricanes are no longer in control of their own destiny, so to speak. SMU is, hilariously, the last undefeated team standing in conference play. Clemson (7-1 in ACC) could end up booting Miami (5-1) from the ACC championship game, which would rain on Cam Ward's Heisman campaign and effectively end Miami's postseason bid.

The Hurricanes are coming out of the buy with their loss to Georgia Tech still fresh on the mind. That slip-up was a long time coming for Miami, a bad defensive team propped up by the Herculean efforts of Cam Ward and an explosive offense. There is no doubting that the Canes can trade punches with the best teams in college football, but is that an effective strategy? 52-45 over Louisville. 39-38 over Cal. 38-34 over Virginia Tech. Those sorts of wins don't feel translatable to the postseason stage.

Defense ratchets up in intensity once the playoffs start. That will work against Miami, a team still frightfully short on genuinely impressive, signature victories. With Wake Forest and Syracuse left on the docket, Miami won't get the chance to topple a real high-wattage threat, either. Clemson and SMU will both end the campaign with better wins. It's a simple fact.

Colorado Buffaloes are ranked way too low at No. 16

Fine, let's ride the wave. The Colorado Buffaloes control their own destiny in the Big 12, having now stacked several commanding victories in a row. The pesky Kansas Jayhawks await in Week 13, fresh off playing spoiler against undefeated BYU last week. That is a real test for Colorado. If the Buffs drive Kansas into the dirt, and folks will struggle to build a case against Colorado.

We can look at this in terms of pure talent. Travis Hunter is the Heisman frontrunner while Shedeur Sanders continues to lap the majority of his peers. This Colorado offense, against all odds, is legitimately frightening. It's not a gimmick. This isn't two NFL players surrounded by a deluge of scrubs. The Buffs are legitimately one of the hottest all-around offenses in college football right now, with a defense that is as stout as ever under Deion Sanders' supervision.

It's fine to complain about Coach Prime's blustering persona and unconventional (at times downright rude) team-building methods, but the proof is in the pudding. Colorado has a real shot to do this thing. A bad early loss to Nebraska stings, but if Colorado wins out, don't be shocked if we're talking about them as a top-10 team.

Texas Longhorns are ranked way too high at No. 3

There's really nowhere else to slot the current SEC frontrunners. Texas is the last SEC team with only one loss, although there's still time for that change. The Longhorns are loaded with talent and coached by a proven winner in Steve Sarkisian.

That said, Texas has not beat a currently ranked opponent. Toppling Michigan in Week 2 is less impressive in hindsight. That 30-15 shellacking at the hands of UGA, meanwhile, has aged a bit worse than initially expected. Georgia now has two losses, to Alabama and Ole Miss, and a few genuinely offputting performances in between. The Dawgs aren't the juggernaut we're used to, and yet with two losses, UGA still has a superior strength of record (No. 2) compared to the Longhorns (No. 5).

Since that loss, Texas has squeaked out concerningly tight victories over Vanderbilt and Arkansas. Quinn Ewers has fallen off dramatically from the heights of last season and Arch Manning isn't quite ready to lead a champion. The Longhorns feel awfully beatable right now, and their Week 15 showdown with Texas A&M looms as a game that could determine the shape of the final 12-team field.

Georgia Bulldogs are ranked way too low at No. 10

It's impossible to devise a concrete measurement of team quality, but Georgia should feel mildly offended by its No. 10 billing. Yes, the Dawgs have two losses and a couple close calls to boot. But, both losses were to top-10 opponents in Bama and Ole Miss. Meanwhile, UGA has also beaten two current postseason teams in Texas and Tennessee. Not to mention another top-20 opponent in Clemson, for good measure. How many other teams can say that?

Precisely. The answer is none. Despite two losses, UGA has the second-best strength of record in college football behind undefeated Oregon. The Dawgs also have the top strength of schedule, facing a literally unrivaled gauntlet of heavy-hitters. Assuming UGA doesn't stumble against UMass or Georgia Tech down the stretch, it will be nothing short of impressive for the Bulldogs to finish 10-2.

I am not terribly confident in the Dawgs considering Carson Beck's recent bout with turnovers and the general malaise that offense tends to hit every other game. That said, at the end of the day, Kirby Smart and UGA have actually earned the benefit of the doubt, and all the numbers support UGA as a much better team than No. 10 overall. When the Dawgs are clicking, few (if any teams) can beat them.