After several weeks of battles on the gridiron, Tuesday’s polling results are in.
Much to the delight of Oregonians, sans Beavers supporters, the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee chose the Ducks as the nation’s top team in the first edition of this season’s rankings.
There was some surprise as Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State edged out SEC stalwart Georgia for the No. 2 slot in the committee’s initial rankings.
CFP Selection Committee Chair Warde Manuel explained to ESPN that the panel felt Ohio State’s one loss, a 1-point defeat on the road against top-ranked Oregon, was more impressive than No. 3 Georgia’s lone blemish, a 7-point road loss to Alabama, who clocked in at No. 11 in the CFP rankings.
Tuesday’s unveiling of the first look at the CFP rankings happens to come on Election Day, and perhaps there is some symmetry there: With the additional number of weeks built into the expanded 12-team playoff, the CFP National Championship Game will be played on January 20 – Inauguration Day.
The CFP selection committee, comprised of athletic directors, former coaches, former players, and a journalist, picks and ranks the 25 best teams in the game for six weeks.
Come December, the same 13 delegates will determine which schools will play in the new 12-team bracket.
There are six new members on the committee this year.
Although the number of teams in the playoff may have tripled, Manuel told ESPN the process for ranking the top 25 remains the same as in previous years.
CFP’s Top 25 rankings were the committee’s first of the season, while the Associated Press (AP) poll and coaches’ poll have been running since the preseason.
Undefeated teams
All three polls rank undefeated Oregon No. 1.
Oregon dispatched Michigan, last season’s national champion, this past weekend and is heavily favored to defeat Maryland (4-4) on Saturday.
University of Miami, at 9-0 on the season, comes in at No. 4 in the CFP poll. The Hurricanes reside on top of their conference table with an away ACC tilt in Atlanta this Saturday against Georgia Tech.
UGA fans will “reach across the aisle” to root for the Jackets to spring another upset over the Canes.
Upstart Indiana, who have shocked even the most seasoned college football experts this year with the Hoosiers unblemished 9-0 record, come in at No. 8.
The Hoosiers are led by first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, who has brought a Shaquille O’Neal-like swagger to the long-struggling program.
Before the campaign kicked off, Cignetti’s men were predicted to finish second to last in the 18-team Big Ten Conference.
Indiana University will face Michigan on Saturday and a true test of mettle on Nov. 23 versus the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in battleground Ohio.
Like the Hoosiers, no one saw BYU’s so-far unblemished record coming. The Cougars, at 8-0, were also predicted to be conference cellar dwellers in the preseason. BYU, ranked No. 9, head to Salt Lake City to face the Utes on Saturday night.
At 8-0, No. 25 Army’s unbeaten season has turned heads this year, but it has a daunting task further down the road after Saturday’s North Texas game. The Black Knights face No. 10 Notre Dame on November 23.
Outside looking in
The dubious distinction of being the first team outside the top 12 looking in belongs to No. 13 SMU, who are tied with Miami atop the ACC standings and still control their own destiny of playing their way into the bracket.
A trio of SEC teams are also waiting in the wings.
Texas A&M, LSU, and Ole Miss fill the 14th, 15th, and 16th spots, respectively, and can all still dream of climbing into the elusive top 12.