The College Football Playoff selection committee cleaned up some first-week mistakes — thank you for moving Indiana and BYU up — but there is still plenty for us to nitpick.
After a busy weekend featuring two top-five teams going down on the road, there was extra anticipation for how the committee would handle things. What we learned is the committee values the Big Ten above the rest in ranking four Big Ten teams in the top five.
Here are the teams we think should be thankful for favorable rankings and others who have reason to be upset at where they rank.
Overrated: No. 3 Texas
Texas is stacked with talent and gets the brand name “eye test” bump, but as of now its best win is against unranked Vanderbilt. The Longhorns got trounced at home by a Georgia team that now has two losses, beat a 5-5 Michigan that has turned into one of the nation’s most disappointing and otherwise have just beat up on the SEC’s weakest squads. Based on resume alone, Texas isn’t anywhere close to the No. 3 team in the country. If Texas loses to Texas A&M in its regular season finale, it will be very interesting to see where the Longhorns land in the final rankings. If the way the committee handled Georgia following its second loss is any indicator, a loss to the Aggies could — and probably should — keep the Longhorns out of the final field.
Underrated: No. 14 SMU
Rhett Lashlee and his team have a reason to be upset about getting left out of the CFP bracket as the No. 14 team. SMU is five spots behind No. 9 Miami (the only ACC team slated to make the field) despite the Mustangs’ lone loss coming to an undefeated No. 6 BYU. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes fell last weekend to four-loss Georgia Tech. Committee chair Warde Manuel gave a mealy-mouthed explanation about why Miami is over SMU during the media teleconference, essentially chalking it up to the Hurricanes’ offense looking more explosive than the Mustangs’. There is no denying that Miami, led by Heisman Trophy contender Cam Ward, is a dynamic group that ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring, passing and total offense. But SMU is no slouch in the offense department — it averages 40 points per game — and shares the same best win (Louisville) as Miami.
Similar to Texas, Penn State has beaten no one to justify this ranking. The Nittany Lions moved up because Georgia and Miami lost. For as much as the committee loves to say it starts from scratch each week, it really allows the previous rankings to influence its thinking. Resume wise, Penn State’s top win (Illinois) shouldn’t have it in the top 10. If going off the eye test, Ole Miss looked more impressive in a win against Georgia than Penn State has all season, and yet the Rebels are seven spots back because of two losses. Tennessee, a one-loss team like PSU, has a better win (Alabama) than anything Penn State has done. The Nittany Lions are getting far too much credit for beating up on bad Big Ten teams and losing to the one good team (No. 2 Ohio State) it has had on its schedule.
Underrated: No. 12 Georgia
The Bulldogs are the first team out because No. 13 Boise State leapfrogs it as the top Group of Five team. It was a precipitous nine-spot drop for Georgia following a 28-10 road loss to Ole Miss. A big drop was understandable for a team that hasn’t lived up to expectations this season, but it still has the second-best win (No. 3 Texas) — behind only No. 1 Oregon’s victory over No. 2 Ohio State. Committee chair Warde Manuel said head-to-head record was keeping the Bulldogs behind Ole Miss and Alabama. That makes sense but you could argue Ole Miss, Alabama and Georgia could all be ranked ahead of No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 9 Miami. Georgia has the nation’s second-toughest schedule and its two losses are both against teams currently projected to make the field. With uneven schedules, a committee exists to recognize a team like Georgia is playing a particularly arduous slate.
