The College Football Playoff selection committee made its first rankings earlier this week. The results were a bit surprising, but have little room for scrutiny. Clemson University comes in atop the first ranking, and is followed by Louisiana State University, Ohio State University and the University of Alabama. The two schools on the bubble are the University of Notre Dame and Baylor University.
Following their sheer domination in the CFP’s inaugural season, the Buckeyes were expected to storm into this year, guns blazing. Ohio State has been No. 1 in the nation throughout the season in the Associated Press poll. However, it appears as though a lack of decisive wins paired with shaky quarterback play has led to a slight downgrade in the polls.
Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes do undoubtedly deserve to be among the top four, though they are not as dominant as last season’s CFP performance may have suggested, especially against a relatively weak schedule.
Strength of schedule rightfully plays a critical role in determining the CFP’s top four, and Ohio State simply has not faced as many tough opponents as its CFP adversaries. Sure, it shut out the University of Hawaii 38-0 (Hawaii is currently 2-7) in the second week of the season. The Buckeyes also only beat Indiana University (4-4, 0-4 in their last four games) by one touchdown (34-27) on Oct. 3.
The Clemson Tigers deserve to be atop the rankings. Their closest game of the season (a 24-22 home win in Week 4) came against Notre Dame, who currently sits at No. 5 in the CFP rankings. The Tigers will definitely be tested again this weekend, though, as they host Florida State University.
Two weeks ago, Clemson traveled to the University of Miami, and put on a show I’ll never forget. Clemson punished Miami, 58-0, leaving Sun Life Stadium virtually empty well before the final whistle. The Tigers held a 42-0 lead at halftime, and before the night was over, they had handed Miami its worst loss in program history.
LSU has surely earned its right to be in the top four. It’s had arguably the hardest schedule of the top four teams, and yet remains undefeated (7-0). Though the Tigers only squeaked by Mississippi State University 21-19 in their second week of play, it’s worth noting that the Bulldogs have since returned to the AP’s top-25.
Other key LSU victories include a 45-21 beatdown of Auburn University, an almost equal smacking (45-24) of the University of South Carolina, and most recently, a 35-28 victory over No. 11 University of Florida.
LSU running back Leonard Fournette has been a human highlight reel every week. He’s simply been putting up video game types of numbers. In just seven games this year, Fournette has rushed for 1,352 yards on 176 rushes (averaging nearly eight yards per carry and over 190 yards per game). He’s also averaging more than two touchdowns per game, with 15 on the year.
The only team in the top four I disagree with is the University of Alabama. I can understand why Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide are where they are, but I believe that a team on the bubble is slightly more deserving of the top four.
Alabama is the only team in the top four with a loss (which came at the hands of University of Mississippi, 43-37, in Week 3). The fact that the Tide have a loss does not bother me much. However, both the point differential and the rank of the opponent do bother me.
Notre Dame, ranked immediately behind Alabama, also has just one loss. The Irish suffered a 24-22 defeat on the road against Clemson. Furthermore, their defeat came on a stopped 2-point conversion attempt with seconds to go in the game, while ‘Bama lost on an incomplete pass on 4th and 10.
Granted, the Tide’s six-point differential would be erased if we do not consider the 66-yard circus catch touchdown by Ole Miss receiver Quincy Adeboyejo. But when comparing the two losses overall, Notre Dame delivered a better effort against a better opponent.
The two teams have very similar strengths of schedules overall. Notre Dame has defeated strong schools, the likes of the University of Texas, University of Southern California and Temple University, while Alabama has beaten the University of Wisconsin, University of Georgia and Texas A&M University.
This weekend, No. 2 LSU travels to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 4 Alabama. An LSU victory should remove Alabama from the CFP top four, while a Crimson Tide win could jump them up as high as second. Top-ranked Clemson will have its hands full when the hyper-talented Seminoles come into town. The CFP top four may look very different this time next week.
