CFP Playoff Rankings

[Phalanx]

Ducks move up to #6, bumping down Ole Miss. SEC heads exploding everywhere. USC sure didn't drop much, which is really good for Oregon as well.

I wish the playoffs were being seeded right now. I would love to be in the Texas A&M bracket. I think they are the most overrated team in America. Unfortunately, I don't think Ohio State, Indiana, and A&M hold those rankings past the conference championship games.

[StevensTechU]

Not putting 10-1 James Madison in the top 25 is dirty business.

BYU: 2-1 against top 25, 8-0 against the rest (ranked 11th)
Alabama: 3-1 against top 25, 7-1 against the rest (ranked 10th)
Notre Dame: 2-2 against top 25, 7-0 against rest (ranked 9th)

I'll also note that Pitt is likely going to drop after this week, which would make Notre Dame 1-2 against top 25.

[Phalanx]

Hmm, James Madison lost to the only halfway legit team on their schedule. I don't blame the committee for liking Tulane better.

[squintsdd]

The ACC champ likely won't be Miami, could very well end up having 2 losses, and will be ranked lower in the polls. To me, leaving James Madison out would be a safety valve to make sure the ACC champ gets to the playoffs regardless of who it is

[bellsduck]

Well they moved Oregon past Ole Miss. I'll admit I didn't think they would so props to the committee for that.
5 SEC teams in makes this unwatchable to me. I have a hard time with even 4 from one conference but 5 is just plain too many. College Football is broken.

[Duck07]

Well they moved Oregon past Ole Miss. I'll admit I didn't think they would so props to the committee for that.
5 SEC teams in makes this unwatchable to me. I have a hard time with even 4 from one conference but 5 is just plain too many. College Football is broken.

Also the committee:

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[Greenblood]

I cannot imagine that the Ducks will not be sitting at #5 when the new CFP rankings come out on Tuesday, just one spot from the top four that get a bye. And if Georgia loses to Alabama and/or TTU loses to BYU this coming weekend, it seems quite possible that the Ducks will move into the top four when the final rankings and seedings come out (though if it's only Georgia losing, I wouldn't be shocked if the Bulldogs stay above the Ducks since I think the CFP committee doesn't want to penalize highly ranked teams who lose in their "extra" CCG game compared to highly ranked teams who don't).

What I want to say is that I'm not convinced, which I suppose is somewhat contrary to the prevailing narrative, that it's a bad thing if the Ducks end up in the top four. We look to last year and the fact that all four teams with byes lost in the quarterfinals, as if the longer layoff was the overriding "reason" they lost. But surely I think we'd agree that both ASU and BSU each lost to better teams, that the Ducks lost to tOSU can't be considered at all surprising (even if the margin was), and Georgia was without its starting QB in its loss to ND, who was injured in the SEC CCG.

Just on the face of it, being in the top four means you've essentially already advanced one step in the CFP without playing a game. I also don't know that having about 4½ weeks off is particularly worse than having three weeks off; they're both significant time periods off when you're accustomed to a game more or less every week. It's also one less game to incur any injuries and potentially more time to get everyone healthy. You also get to scout your upcoming opponent in a must-win situation for that opponent. And I suppose there's a bit of prestige that goes with being one of the top four teams with a bye.

On balance, I suppose I'd still prefer the Ducks play in three weeks rather than waiting until about New Year's. And that would also mean a playoff game at Autzen, which you probably can't put a price on. And you also get to focus on one opponent for a couple of weeks. But if it turns out we're in the top four, I won't cry.

[droop10]

I cannot imagine that the Ducks will not be sitting at #5 when the new CFP rankings come out on Tuesday, just one spot from the top four that get a bye. And if Georgia loses to Alabama and/or TTU loses to BYU this coming weekend, it seems quite possible that the Ducks will move into the top four when the final rankings and seedings come out (though if it's only Georgia losing, I wouldn't be shocked if the Bulldogs stay above the Ducks since I think the CFP committee doesn't want to penalize highly ranked teams who lose in their "extra" CCG game compared to highly ranked teams who don't).

What I want to say is that I'm not convinced, which I suppose is somewhat contrary to the prevailing narrative, that it's a bad thing if the Ducks end up in the top four. We look to last year and the fact that all four teams with byes lost in the quarterfinals, as if the longer layoff was the overriding "reason" they lost. But surely I think we'd agree that both ASU and BSU each lost to better teams, that the Ducks lost to tOSU can't be considered at all surprising (even if the margin was), and Georgia was without its starting QB in its loss to ND, who was injured in the SEC CCG.

Just on the face of it, being in the top four means you've essentially already advanced one step in the CFP without playing a game. I also don't know that having about 4½ weeks off is particularly worse than having three weeks off; they're both significant time periods off when you're accustomed to a game more or less every week. It's also one less game to incur any injuries and potentially more time to get everyone healthy. You also get to scout your upcoming opponent in a must-win situation for that opponent. And I suppose there's a bit of prestige that goes with being one of the top four teams with a bye.

On balance, I suppose I'd still prefer the Ducks play in three weeks rather than waiting until about New Year's. And that would also mean a playoff game at Autzen, which you probably can't put a price on. And you also get to focus on one opponent for a couple of weeks. But if it turns out we're in the top four, I won't cry.

I think the main issue with the bye is that both teams are dealing with the same layoff. Yes, you’ll still be off 3 weeks without it, but at that point both teams are coming in a bit rusty, while the teams with a bye play teams that have played in the last 10 days while they are coming off a month of no live football. Honestly, they should scrap conference championships and start the playoffs that week without the unnecessarily long layoff. It’s telling that teams want to avoid the championship games, and they’ve become largely pointless if most teams in them are already shoe-ins for the playoffs anyway.

[buckmarkduck]

A we are looking at a potential Duke at 7-6 in the playoffs, and a Tulane team that got dominated by any team it played with a pulse? This needs to be fixed.

[StevensTechU]

A we are looking at a potential Duke at 7-6 in the playoffs, and a Tulane team that got dominated by any team it played with a pulse? This needs to be fixed.

Disagree on the facts and the point.

On the facts, 7-6 Duke would be out because it would mean they lose in the conference championship. 8-5 Duke would also be out because 1-loss James Madison and the AAC champ will be ahead of them. Hell, the Mountain West champ might be ahead of them. Also on the facts, Tulane beat a few teams with a pulse - like Duke. They also beat Northwestern by 20 (that's more than Michigan, Nebraska, and Illinois... combined) and play a top 25 North Texas next week.

On the point, I hate that big brands have to play their way OUT while the other 100 programs have to play their way IN. Texas, Miami, and whoever else that might have a theoretically higher chance of winning is not going to make the playoffs because they lost. G6 teams get, at most, 2 out of 12 spots. We gotta stop crying over sharing them the smallest sliver of the pie like it's too much.

[buckmarkduck]

The Tulane coach literally sa he doesn’t think they should be in. And they are ranked to high

[droop10]

The Tulane coach literally sa he doesn’t think they should be in. And they are ranked to high

I find it hard to believe that he has said any of that, and a quick search didn’t pull up anything. Why would any coach campaign against their team being in the playoff? G5 schools should absolutely have spots in the playoff. I always thought it was dumb that half of D1 legitimately had no chance to even play for a championship. It’s what makes March Madness so great…the Cinderella stories. I’d rather see a Tulane or JMU get their crack at it than 3 loss P4 teams.

[alxtw]

Conference championships used to be fun and mean something because only two teams could play for the natty. Now that many teams can play for the natty, conference championship week isnt that big of a deal.

Take away conf championship week and make it playoffs playin week. Large sponsors and networks prefer the conf championships, but it would be fun seeing smaller schools and +3 loss P5 schools go at it and play their hearts out for final spots in the playoffs.

[buckmarkduck]

The Tulane coach literally sa he doesn’t think they should be in. And they are ranked to high

I find it hard to believe that he has said any of that, and a quick search didn’t pull up anything. Why would any coach campaign against their team being in the playoff? G5 schools should absolutely have spots in the playoff. I always thought it was dumb that half of D1 legitimately had no chance to even play for a championship. It’s what makes March Madness so great…the Cinderella stories. I’d rather see a Tulane or JMU get their crack at it than 3 loss P4 teams.

He said his team
Is average. If they are ranked 24, then there must be a lot of bad football being played around the country.

[Duck07]

I think I've come around to the notion that Miami should be 1 spot ahead of Notre Dame even if I might think that ND would win a rematch today.

Texas is focused on the wrong loss (Ohio State) rather than the loss that ruined their chances (Florida).