This College Football Playoff committee is about to have a mess on its hands, and all it’s going to take is for a few things to happen.
- What if Alabama, winners of 10 in a row, upsets Georgia on Saturday in the SEC title game?
- What if Michigan stubs its toe in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis? (OK, that’s pushing it, but stay with me).
- What if Florida State doesn’t lose to Louisville?
- What if Texas takes care of business and beats Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game in Arlington?
- What if Oregon takes out Washington in the Pac-12 title game Friday night?
Think about the quandary that’ll leave the committee in.
Georgia, winners of the last two national titles, will have a loss, a singular loss, but would still have won the last two national titles and it would be difficult to debate that they weren’t still one of this year’s top four teams.
Alabama would have then won 10 straight games since the loss to Texas – did they commit the impardonable sin, or something? Tide fatigue or not, is this committee built to have the best four teams, or to keep Nick Saban out of the College Football Playoff? Seriously?
Michigan would be getting into the CFP with possibly the weakest schedule of any team since it was changed to a four-team playoff, rather than the old BCS format. But they would have ran the table except the Big Ten title game.
I’m getting to a point here.
The committee in the past has taken season-changing injuries into account. Would that still play into effect, since FSU quarterback Jordan Travis was injured against North Alabama? It appeared it did, after the Seminoles were dropped down to fifth in favor of Washington just before FSU’s matchup with Florida, only to see them rise back up a spot following Ohio State’s loss.
Or was that just window-dressing, just fool’s gold, just lip service for this week’s poll, knowing good and well that they’re dropping next week no matter what they do in the game against Louisville?
There’s still so much football to be played.
Going to editorialize a little bit.
- If Michigan wins the Big Ten, it should get into the playoff. They ran the table. The Wolverines should go.
- The Alabama-Georgia winner should go – the loser should not. The SEC champion should not be left out. Alabama, Georgia, Missouri are all ranked in the top 10; Ole Miss and LSU are ranked just outside it. If the SEC champion does NOT make the CFP, with those numbers, the system is a farce and the committee should be disbanded immediately. Period.
- The Washington-Oregon winner should go. The loser should not.
- Ohio State should not go, period. They have no title game to lift them up, ala Alabama, Oregon, or Texas. They have a late-season loss, and no 10 straight wins (like Alabama) and no title game to build them back up. There’s no way two teams from the weakest major conference – that’d be the Big Ten this year – should be in. What an embarrassment that would be.
- Ditto Florida State. Whom, exactly, did Florida State beat this year? A four-loss Clemson? An LSU team that Ole Miss and Alabama also beat? A very weak ACC? And they don’t have Jordan Travis. Winners over Louisville or not, FSU should only go in the case of an Iowa blowout of Michigan and an Oklahoma State upset of Texas, both very unlikely possibilities.
Here are the rankings, this time just the rankings. We’ll list the championship game schedule on Thursday with our TFB staff picks.
The committee chairman is Boo Corrigan, the athletic director at North Carolina State. Joining him on the committee are:
- Chris Ault, retired former football coach and athletic director at the University of Nevada, having served three stints there (1976-92, 1994-95, and 2004-12; moved the Wolf Pack from Division II to Division I-AA in ’78, then to Division I-A in ’92. Ault created the pistol offense, implementing it there in 2005, and is a 2022 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame.
- Mitch Barnhart, the current University of Kentucky Athletic Director. Recently completed his fifth year as a member of the NCAA men’s basketball committee and was chair of the committee for the 2021 men’s tournament. He’s also a former chair of SEC Athletic Directors (2017), was named athletic director of the year by the Sports Business Journal in 2019, and is also a former AD at Oregon State (1998-2002).
- Chet Gladchuk, Athletic Director, U.S. Naval Academy. Former director of intramurals and recreation at Boston College (1990-97). Former AD at the University of Houston and Tulane University. Won the National Football Foundation’s John L. Toner Award (recognizes an AD who has shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and demonstrated administrative abilities). Selected to serve on the NCAA Leadership Council (helps to set the D-I legislative agenda and advises the NCAA on major legislative issues.
- Jim Grobe, former head coach at Baylor, Wake Forest, Ohio. Named ACC and national coach of the year by the AP and Sporting News in 2006 (Wake Forest). Played at the University of Virginia in 1973 and 1974.
- Mark Harlan, University of Utah Athletic Director. In his tenure, Utes have won four national championships (in skiing) and 24 conference championships. Was named the AD of the Year by National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors in 2023. Former AD at the University of South Florida. Served on the Division I Football Oversight Committee.
- Warde Manuel, athletic director, University of Michigan. Former AD at UConn (2012-16), where he was named the NACDA Under Armor Athletic Director of the Year in 2015.
- David Sayler, Athletic Director, Miami-Ohio, since 2013. Former South Dakota AD (2010-13). Former Ernst & Young executive and has held athletic administration experience at Rice, Oregon State, Bowling Green, Houston, Hartford, Georgia and UConn.
- Will Shields, former NFL offensive guard, starting 231 consecutive games for the Kansas City Chiefs. Was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (2011) and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2015). Was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2003. Former Nebraksa standout.
- Gene Taylor, AD, Kansas State. Former AD at North Dakota State (2001-14) and former deputy director of athletics at Iowa (2014-17). Lengthy tenure at Navy as administrative assistant in athletics (1986-2001).
- Joe Taylor, former head coach at Florida A&M, Hampton, Virginia Union, and Howard. Won four Black college national championships, and has a record of 233-96-4. Member of the College Football Hall of Fame (2019) and the Black College Football Hall of Fame (2020).
- Rod West, Group President, Utility Operations for Entergy Corporation. Past President of the AllState Sugar Bowl. Member of board of directors for the National Football Foundation. Former linebacker and tight end at Notre Dame, a part of the national championship team in 1988.
- Kelly Whiteside, professor, Montclair University. Former USA Today national college football writer who also covered seven Olympic Games, the NFL, other pro leagues and major college sports. Former reporter at Newsday and Sports Illustrated. Was the first female president of the Football Writers Association of America.
Here are the rankings, along with this weekend’s games, listed with times in Central Standard time.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS (released Tuesday, November 28):
| 1. Georgia (12-0) | 25 |
| 2. Michigan (12-0) | 24 |
| 3. Washington (12-0) | 23 |
| 4. Florida State (12-0) | 22 |
| 5. Oregon (11-1) | 21 |
| 6. Ohio State (11-1) | 20 |
| 7. Texas (11-1) | 19 |
| 8. Alabama (11-1) | 18 |
| 9. Missouri (10-2) | 17 |
| 10. Penn State (10-2) | 16 |
| 11. Ole Miss (10-2) | 15 |
| 12. Oklahoma (10-2) | 14 |
| 13. LSU (9-3) | 13 |
| 14. Louisville (10-2) | 12 |
| 15. Arizona (9-3) | 11 |
| 16. Iowa (10-2) | 10 |
| 17. Notre Dame (9-3) | 9 |
| 18. Oklahoma State (9-3) | 8 |
| 19. North Carolina State (9-3) | 7 |
| 20. Oregon State (8-4) | 6 |
| 21. Tennessee (8-4) | 5 |
| 22. Tulane (11-1) | 4 |
| 23. Clemson (8-4) | 3 |
| 24. Liberty (12-0) | 2 |
| 25. Kansas State (8-4) | 1 |
