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How the initial College Football Playoff poll should have looked
By Jessi Lee
Published:
After nine weeks of football, the College Football Playoff Committee finally released its first rankings.
Take a look at where we think the teams should have fallen on the list.
HOW THE CFP POLL SHOULD’VE LOOKED
1. Clemson (8-0)
2. LSU (7-0) – The Tigers deserve to be here. The CFP got it right. LSU still has to face No. 4 Alabama, No. 18 Ole Miss and No. 19 Texas A&M.
3. Baylor (7-0) – Baylor is undefeated in a weaker schedule, but unlike some other undefeated teams, the Bears have dominated their opponents, outscoring them 428-176. If they can survive the mid-November gauntlet—No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 14 Oklahoma State and No. 8 TCU—their place in the playoffs should be cemented.
4. Notre Dame (7-1) – Notre Dame’s only loss this year came at the hands of the Clemson Tigers, and it was by just two points. Notre Dame has the fifth toughest schedule, but the Fighting Irish have powered through it. The Irish did struggle against Temple, but the Owls are a surprisingly talented team this year, and more importantly, Notre Dame finished the game. The Irish still have to face No. 11 Stanford at the end of month.
5. Ohio State (8-0) – Ohio State may be undefeated, but the Buckeyes really haven’t shown us anything this season in their eight wins over unranked teams. They still have a chance though, facing No. 7 Michigan State and No. 17 Michigan later this month.
6. Alabama (7-1) – Alabama has one of the three strongest schedules in the country, and it has struggled with a lot of it. The Tide may have beaten itself in Oxford, but it’s still a loss. There is light at the end of the tunnel, because a win against No. 2 LSU would move Alabama rightfully into the Top 4. But for now, it doesn’t deserve to be there.
7. Michigan State (8-0)
8. TCU (8-0)
9. Florida (7-1) – The Gators weren’t given much of a chance at the start of the season, but they came out swinging with big wins over Ole Miss and Georgia. Their only loss of the season came in the final quarter against LSU and the Mad Hatter. Florida is definitely better than No. 10, and there are arguments that the Gators should have been even higher in the initial CFP poll. A win over Vanderbilt in Week 10 will secure the Gators’ spot in the SEC championship, but a win over No. 16 FSU at the end of November could secure them a spot in the playoffs.
10. Iowa (8-0) – Iowa’s strength of schedule has been iffy at best this season. The win over Iowa State was supposed to be a big one, but then the Cyclones ended up being kind of terrible, sitting at 3-5 right now. Like Ohio State, the Hawkeyes are undefeated, but they haven’t shown us much other than a big win over Northwestern. Unfortunately, Iowa doesn’t have the kind of schedule needed to show us anything in November.
11. Stanford (7-1)
12. Memphis (8-0) – Memphis has the strongest schedule of any Group of 5 team, and it has successfully tackled its schedule, which is highlighted by a statement win over Ole Miss. Memphis still has a tough conference schedule left, facing Navy, No. 25 Houston and No. 22 Temple.
13. Utah (7-1) – With two “big” wins over teams that are no longer ranked, a win in the season opener over now No. 17 Michigan and a disappointing loss to USC, I’m not sure the Utes should be in the Top 15, but they definitely shouldn’t be at No. 12. They are good, but we still need some convincing. Maybe they can do that against No. 23 UCLA later this month.
14. Oklahoma State (8-0)
15. Oklahoma (7-1) – The Sooners can stay put for now. Oklahoma suffered an embarrassing loss to Texas earlier this season, and despite the Sooners’ success since then, it isn’t an easy loss to forget. Their only two wins against ranked teams—Tennessee and West Virginia—came early in the season and both teams have dropped significantly since then, making the wins look much less impressive. Oklahoma still has a chance to prove it deserves to be in Top 15 against No. 6 Baylor, No. 8 TCU and No. 14 Oklahoma State in its final three regular season games.
16. Florida State (7-1)
17. Michigan (6-2)
18. Ole Miss (7-2) – Like LSU, if Ole Miss wins the rest of its regular season games, it will be SEC West Champion. Unlike LSU, Ole Miss already has two losses. Even though the losses are to ranked teams, they don’t bode well for playoff chances. The Rebels still have to face No. 2 LSU and No. 20 Mississippi State at the end of November.
19. Texas A&M (6-2) – The Aggies also have two losses to ranked teams to match their two wins over ranked teams. But they’re not in the homestretch just yet. Texas A&M will face No. 2 LSU in the last game of the season.
20. Mississippi State (6-2) – Like Ole Miss and Texas A&M, the Bulldogs have two losses to ranked teams. What they don’t have are wins against any ranked teams. Mississippi State will has the opportunity to change that this month with games against No. 4 Alabama and No. 18 Ole Miss.
21. Temple (7-1) – What is Northwestern doing in this poll? The Wildcats lost to Michigan and Iowa in October, and their only win against a ranked team came in the season opener against Stanford. Not impressed. Because of the CFP’s placement of Northwestern at No. 21, the teams ranked below them get an automatic boost in the poll
22. UCLA (6-2) – See No. 21
23. Toledo (7-0) – See No. 21
24. Houston (8-0) – See No. 21
25. North Carolina (7-1) or Navy (6-1) – Every other poll includes North Carolina, and it’s for good reason. The Tar Heels’ only loss came in a close season opener against South Carolina. Navy has had a surprisingly quiet and successful 2015 season. The Midshipmen’s only loss was to Notre Dame last month. They have the opportunity to move into the CFP poll after the matchup with No. 13 Memphis in Week 10, but they will then have to make it past No. 25 Houston at the end of the month.
