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A perfect match between the two completely independent polls was never going to happen, but the College Football Playoff ranking and the AP Top 25 had a similarity or two, including three of the same top four teams.
The major differences, and there were quite a few, involved Baylor and Alabama.
AP ranked Baylor No. 2, Alabama No. 7.
The playoff selection committee ranked Alabama No. 4 — and Baylor No. 6.
RELATED: CFP takeaways | Twitter reaction to Alabama’s rank
Just 10 points separate No. 4 LSU and No. 5 TCU in latest Top 25 https://t.co/qR90pGUO7h pic.twitter.com/O6VD3GoUvT
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) November 2, 2015
College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings for Oct. 31, 2015 #CFP25 pic.twitter.com/IDEezlEVOL
— Sharpspeare (@SharpTusk) November 4, 2015
The AP clearly has more respect for the Big 12’s schedule at this point than the Playoff Committee.
Undefeated Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State all dropped in the Playoff Poll compared to the AP.
The Committee had plenty of love for the SEC, ranking six teams in the Top 20. For comparison, the AP had just four SEC teams in this week’s Top 20.
Surprisingly, No. 21 North Carolina was the only team in the AP Top 25 that failed to make the CFP rankings. Northwestern, unranked by AP, showed up at No. 21 in the CFP ranking.
Not surprisingly, there was plenty of reaction on social media to the initial CFP ranking.
Switching from UNC to Northwestern, which Michigan blanked 38-0 and Iowa hammered 40-10, seems a little suspect.
The oddest part is that the CFP moved Michigan and Stanford down from the AP version. You’d think Stanford would find a way in the Top 10 with its only loss in the first week to No. 21 Northwestern.
If you think you’re team got shammed in the first College Football Playoff ranking, don’t worry. Plenty will change between now and the semifinal selections.
