December 4th 2024.
After five editions of the College Football Playoff rankings being revealed, the selection committee has finally made a change in their approach. This change has brought delight to the SEC and frustration to the ACC. Interestingly, Oregon has maintained its top spot, while Texas, Penn State, and Notre Dame have followed closely behind.
The real intrigue of Tuesday evening came in the double digits, as Alabama climbed two spots to No. 11 and Miami dropped six places to No. 12. This means that if the current rankings hold through championship weekend, Alabama would make it into the CFP field while Miami would not. Committee chair Warde Manuel explained that Alabama's rise in the rankings was due to their collection of quality wins, something that was not prioritized in previous weeks. In the past, the committee had given more weight to win-loss record and the overall performance of teams, regardless of their competition. This shift in approach has resulted in a devaluation of strength-of-schedule.
On Tuesday, Manuel appeared on ESPN and cited Alabama's three wins over ranked opponents, compared to Miami's lack of any ranked wins. He later elaborated on a media teleconference, stating that the committee evaluated the teams based on their entire body of work, not just wins and losses. This change in evaluation has come just in time for the SEC to potentially send a fourth team into the CFP field.
Manuel also revealed that the committee will not alter their evaluation of teams that are not playing in conference championships this weekend. This suggests that none of the at-large candidates ranked below Alabama, the last team in the field, can overtake them. This is bad news for teams like Miami, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
In the latest rankings, Boise State has moved up to No. 10 and is likely to receive a first-round bye if they defeat UNLV in the Mountain West championship game. This bye would come at the expense of either the Big 12 or the ACC. If eighth-ranked SMU wins the ACC title, they will claim a bye and the Big 12 champion will have to play a road game in the opening round. On the other hand, if SMU loses to No. 17 Clemson, the final bye will be determined by the committee's preference for either the Tigers or the Big 12 winner.
Based on the current rankings, projected conference champions such as Oregon, Texas, SMU, and Boise State would have byes, while at-large teams like Penn State, Notre Dame, Georgia, and Ohio State would host opening-round games. If the current rankings hold, we can expect to see a quarterfinal match-up between Big Ten champion Oregon and the winner of the Tennessee-Ohio State game. The Big 12 champion, Arizona State, would open on the road against Penn State, while Mountain West champion Boise State would face the winner of the Penn State-ASU game in the quarterfinals.
In other college football news, Arizona has decided to retain Brent Brennan, which has been deemed a smart move. The Pac-12 bowl projections are predicting Oregon to go to the Rose Bowl, Colorado to the Alamo Bowl, and USC to the Sun Bowl. As we anticipate the CFP rankings, there are some interesting match-ups to look forward to, such as Boise State vs. the Big 12 and ACC vs. SEC. In the Best of West FB rankings, Oregon is at the top, followed by ASU and Boise State. On Saturday night, we saw Oregon potentially winning from losing, ASU clinching, Arizona falling, WSU fading, and some updated bowl math. For suggestions, comments, and tips, you can reach out to
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