As we approach the middle of the season, it becomes more and more clear which teams will actually be in the playoff discussion as opposed to guessing who will be in it during the first few weeks. The first Saturday in October did not disappoint, nor did the top two teams in the nation.
Alabama and Georgia have been the class of college football so far this season, and this past weekend only further proved that point. I’m not sure if Lane Kiffin and the Rebels had their popcorn ready, but Bama sure did, as they cruised to a 42-21 win over Ole Miss a year after getting gashed defensively by the Rebels. Georgia didn’t care that Arkansas was one of the hottest teams in the country and shut out the Razorbacks 37-0, despite not having starting quarterback JT Daniels.
You can argue whose win is more impressive or who the better team is, but it ultimately is a pointless discussion because we will get an answer in Atlanta this December. Alabama and Georgia aren’t just on a collision course for the SEC Championship, they appear to be on a collision course for the National Championship, unless someone else starts looking as dominant as they have.
While my top two teams continued to impress on Saturday, the same could not be said for my third ranked team from last week. Oregon suffered a heartbreaking and controversial loss against Stanford this Saturday and took a huge hit to their previously promising playoff hopes. This has been the issue with the Pac-12 for the past several years; the conference has too much parity for it’s own good and no team can stand out and crack the top four at season’s end. Oregon was the conference’s best hope at making the playoff for the first time since 2016.
Outside of the Ducks, the Pac-12 really doesn’t have any serious threats for the playoff with UCLA having two losses and Arizona State losing to BYU and having a weak schedule. The Ducks are still very much in the playoff hunt, though they need to win out. The Ohio State win will come in handy when the committee is comparing Oregon to other top teams, but the Ducks no longer control their own destiny.
A team that should control their destiny is Cincinnati after their win in South Bend against the Fighting Irish. I said entering the year that Cincy could be the first Group of Five team to make the playoff, considering they were already ranked in the top ten before the season even started, which is unheard of for a non-power five program. The Bearcats showed they were a force to be reckoned last year, going 9-1 and being a field goal away from beating Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Now, Cincy is ready to take the next step and make history should they run the table in AAC play.
The CFP committee has no excuses not to put the Bearcats in if they’re 13-0, since they would be undefeated with quality wins against Notre Dame and likely two wins against a ranked SMU. In the past, undefeated group of five teams had weak schedules or just didn’t look the part of a playoff team, but Cincinnati doesn’t have either of those issues holding them back. The Bearcats look like one of the top teams in the nation, and their schedule is very respectable. I don’t want to hear how Cincinnati would get blown out in the playoff because this system has let Notre Dame into the playoff twice, and what happened in both instances? This system views Notre Dame worthy of a playoff spot so an undefeated team that beat Notre Dame should be worthy as well.
College Football Top 25 Rankings:
- Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0) W vs Ole Miss 42-21, last week-1
2. Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) W vs Arkansas 37-0, last week-2
3.Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0) W vs Maryland 51-14, last week-4
4. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0) W vs Indiana 24-0, last week-5
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0) W vs Notre Dame 24-13, last week-7
6. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0) W vs Kansas State 37-31, last week-6
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-1) W vs Rutgers 52-13, last week-10
8. Michigan Wolverines (5-0) W vs Wisconsin 38-17, last week-15
9. Oregon Ducks (4-1) L vs Stanford 31-24, last week-3
10.Michigan State Spartans (5-0) W vs Western Kentucky 48-31, last week-16
11. BYU Cougars (5-0) W vs Utah State 34-20, last week-14
12.Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0) W vs Baylor 24-14, last week-19
13. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (5-0) W vs UL Monroe 59-6, last week-12
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1) L vs Cincinnati 24-13, last week-8
15. Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1) L vs Georgia 37-0, last week-9
16. Ole Miss Rebels (4-1) L vs Alabama 42-21, last week-13
17. Kentucky Wildcats (5-0) W vs Florida 20-13, last week-unranked
18. Texas Longhorns (4-1) W vs TCU 32-27, last week-unranked
19. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1) W vs UCLA 42-23, last week-unranked
20. Auburn Tigers (4-1) W vs LSU 24-19, last week-unranked
21.SMU Mustangs (5-0) W vs USF 41-17, last week-25
22. NC State Wolfpack (4-1) W vs Louisiana Tech 34-27, last week-20
23. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-0) W vs Louisville 37-34, last week-unranked
24. Florida Gators (3-2) L vs Kentucky 20-13, last week-11
25.Clemson Tigers (3-2) W vs Boston College 19-13, last week-24
Dropped out of rankings- Texas A&M, Baylor, Fresno State, UCLA, Boston College