College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Committee Should Rank The Top 25, Week 2
The second College Football Playoff rankings of 2022 will come out Tuesday night, November 8th. How should the committee put together the top 25?
The College Football Playoff committee didn’t do a horrible job with the first round of rankings.
There might have been a misfire when it came to the Pac-12 teams – USC was too high, UCLA too low – and there are a few other minor tweaks, but putting Tennessee No. 1 was the right move at the time, and it all was relatively fine from there.
Remember, the College Football Playoff rankings are a snapshot of the moment until the final batch. The committee goes through each spot pick by pick debating the merits of all the teams available, and in the end the top 25 was at least thought out, even if it doesn’t always seem right.
And then it’s all wiped away and everything starts from scratch the next week.
Since the committee obviously doesn’t have the Pac-12 Network and hasn’t actually watched USC’s defense or most of the late night games – I’m joking, of course … sort of – I’ll give everyone a little bit of help.
Go here for what we expect the next round of rankings to be. Here’s how the College Football Playoff committee should put together the top 25.
College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, November 8
College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings 1-131 | Rankings by Conference
AP Poll | Coaches Poll | Predicting CFP Top 25
Bowl Bubble: Bowl eligible teams, who needs a win?
Ranking the 12 teams realistically in the CFP hunt
25. UCF Knights (7-2)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 25
The Case For This Spot: The 41-19 win over SMU looks better and better, the win over Cincinnati was great, and getting by Memphis on the road offsets an ugly 34-13 loss to East Carolina a little bit. Don’t worry about this ranking. Beat Tulane this week, go on to win the AAC championship, get a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl.
Win That Matters: UCF 25, Cincinnati 21
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: East Carolina 34, UCF 13
Up Next: at Tulane
24. Liberty Flames (8-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: Not Ranked
The Case For This Spot: This will be interesting. How much credit does Liberty get for beating Arkansas? Heck, Texas A&M did that, too. The 37-36 loss to Wake Forest is good, and the 41-14 win over BYU is great, but there’s a TON of fluff on the slate to get up to eight wins.
Win That Matters: Liberty 21, Arkansas 19
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Liberty 21, Gardner-Webb 20
Up Next: at UConn
23. Kansas State Wildcats (6-3)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 13
The Case For This Spot: The committee putting Kansas State six spots ahead of Tulane – the Green Wave won 17-10 in Manhattan – was sort of wrong, but that will be changed this week. Losing at TCU isn’t bad, and dropping a date to Texas is okay. Blowouts over Missouri and Oklahoma State are enough to keep the Wildcats from falling too far, but they shouldn’t be in the top 20.
Win That Matters: Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 0
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Tulane 17, Kansas State 10
Up Next: at Baylor
22. Texas Longhorns (6-3)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 24
The Case For This Spot: Basically, the College Football Playoff committee watched the Alabama game, saw Texas beat Oklahoma 49-0, and it seems like it didn’t notice much else. The Oklahoma State loss a few weeks ago now looks really, really rough, and losing to Texas Tech isn’t okay. However, beating Kansas State should be enough to bump up closer to the top 20. Beat TCU this week, and Texas will prove to be as good as the CFP thinks it is.
Win That Matters: Texas 34, Kansas State 27
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Texas Tech 37, Texas 34
Up Next: TCU
21. Washington Huskies (7-2)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: Not Ranked
The Case For This Spot: Since the committee proved last week that it doesn’t watch the Pac-12, it might miss that the Huskies have been very, very shaky. However, the win over Oregon State – then ranked 23rd in the CFP – was a good one, losing at UCLA was fine, and beating Michigan State is okay. The loss to Arizona State hurts, but beat Oregon this week, and the ranking shoots up.
Win That Matters: Washington 39, Michigan State 28
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Arizona State 45, Washington 38
Up Next: at Oregon
College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings 1-131 | Rankings by Conference
AP Poll | Coaches Poll | Predicting CFP Top 25
Bowl Bubble: Bowl eligible teams, who needs a win?
Ranking the 12 teams realistically in the CFP hunt
NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 20
College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 20
20. Tulane Green Wave (8-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 19
The Case For This Spot: Fiiiiiiine. It’s not like Tulane has been all that great against a mediocre slate, and it lost at home to Southern Miss. However, 8-1 overall and the road win over Kansas State are enough to be here. Now beat UCF.
Win That Matters: Tulane 17, Kansas State 10
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Southern Miss 27, Tulane 24
Up Next: UCF
19. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-3)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: Not Ranked
The Case For This Spot: So how do we do this? Do we just conveniently forget the home losses to Marshall and Stanford? There but for a few good offensive plays the Irish are 8-1 and deep in the playoff hunt, but that’s not how this works. However, three straight wins, handing North Carolina its only loss, and dropping Clemson by 24 should be enough to get into the top 20.
Win That Matters: Notre Dame 35, Clemson 14
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Marshall 26, Notre Dame 21
Up Next: Navy
18. Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 16
The Case For This Spot: This is so tough. The Illini have looked much, much better than Tulane and Florida State – the wins over Minnesota and Wisconsin were dominant – but the two losses to Indiana and Michigan State aren’t okay. And then there’s the bigger problem – is Iowa the biggest win so far? That’s hardly anything amazing.
Win That Matters: Illinois 34, Wisconsin 10
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Indiana 23, Illinois 20
Up Next: Purdue
17. Florida State Seminoles (6-3)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: Not Ranked
The Case For This Spot: Arguably the biggest whiff in the first round of the College Football Playoff rankings, three-loss Texas got in for doing a whole lot of nothing, and Florida State was left out. It’s time to remedy that, committee. The three losses Wake Forest, Clemson, and NC State are all okay, and the win over LSU now looks fantastic.
Win That Matters: Florida State 24, LSU 23
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Wake Forest 31, Florida State 21
Up Next: at Syracuse
16. NC State Wolfpack (7-2)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 22
The Case For This Spot: The College Football Playoff committee underhanded the Wolfpack the first time around, and now they should make up for it. The win over Wake Forest should help, and beating Florida State and Texas Tech isn’t bad. The road losses to Clemson and Syracuse are acceptable enough to keep them from falling much lower than this.
Win That Matters: NC State 19, Florida State 17
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Syracuse 24, NC State 9
Up Next: Boston College
College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings 1-131 | Rankings by Conference
AP Poll | Coaches Poll | Predicting CFP Top 25
Bowl Bubble: Bowl eligible teams, who needs a win?
Ranking the 12 teams realistically in the CFP hunt
NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 15
College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 15
15. North Carolina Tar Heels (8-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 17
The Case For This Spot: 8-1 is still 8-1. Don’t be shocked if the Tar Heels have the puck on their stick at 11-1 going into the ACC Championship with a shot at becoming a one-loss Power Five conference champ. Do that, and they’ll be deep in the College Football Playoff consideration. For now, though, the best win is against Duke. There needs to be more meat on the resumé bone.
Win That Matters: North Carolina 42, Pitt 24
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 32
Up Next: at Wake Forest
14. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 15
The Case For This Spot: Knowing how the College Football Playoff committee rolls, big wins mean more than acceptable losses. Penn State has two more than acceptable losses – Ohio State and Michigan – but there aren’t any big wins. No, Minnesota doesn’t really count.
Win That Matters: Penn State 41, Auburn 12
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Michigan 41, Penn State 17
Up Next: Maryland
13. Clemson Tigers (8-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 14
The Case For This Spot: The loss at Notre Dame was UGLY – no, that’s not how everyone tries to pronounce Uiagalelei – but don’t overreact quite yet. The win over Wake Forest, NC State, Florida State, and Syracuse are all good enough to keep the Tigers in this. The belief still holds – go 12-1, win your Power Five conference championship, and get in. Clemson can still do that.
Win That Matters: Clemson 51, Wake Forest 45
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Notre Dame 35, Clemson 14
Up Next: Louisville
12. Utah Utes (7-2)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 14
The Case For This Spot: A very reasonable case could be made that Utah deserves to be ranked in the top ten. The loss on the road at Florida was every bit as strong as LSU losing to Florida State, and giving USC its first and only loss might actually be better right now than beating Alabama. The loss at UCLA is better than LSU getting rocked by Tennessee, but for now, moving up a few spots is fine.
Win That Matters: Utah 43, USC 42
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Florida 29, Utah 26
Up Next: Arizona
11. Ole Miss Tigers (8-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 11
The Case For This Spot: There’s no reason to mess around with the No. 11 spot for now. The 45-20 loss to LSU was a problem, and there isn’t a strong enough win on the resumé – maybe Kentucky – to go any higher. Beat Alabama this week, and then this gets fun.
Win That Matters: Ole Miss 22, Kentucky 19
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: LSU 45, Ole Miss 20
Up Next: at Alabama
College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings 1-131 | Rankings by Conference
AP Poll | Coaches Poll | Predicting CFP Top 25
Bowl Bubble: Bowl eligible teams, who needs a win?
Ranking the 12 teams realistically in the CFP hunt
NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 10
College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 10
10. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 6
The Case For This Spot: It took two walk off plays on the road in epic battles for the Tide to lose twice – and LSU and Tennessee are and will be rewarded for it. There isn’t a great win of any sort – Texas is okay – and the team has been shaky, but sliding in behind LSU is about right.
Win That Matters: Alabama 20, Texas 19
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: LSU 32, Alabama 31
Up Next: at Ole Miss
9. LSU Tigers (7-2)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 10
The Case For This Spot: The College Football Playoff committee loves, loves, LOVES Alabama. Beat the Tide, get rewarded. LSU got a nice ranking in the first round thanks to the blowout win over Ole Miss, but that was a bit high – getting rocked at home by Tennessee and losing to Florida State matters. The FSU loss is enough to keep the Tigers from needing to move up higher.
Win That Matters: LSU 32, Alabama 31
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Florida State 24, LSU 23
Up Next: at Arkansas
8. USC Trojans (8-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 9
The Case For This Spot: For now, the defense hasn’t been impressive enough to deserve anything higher than this, but it doesn’t matter. It’s all there for the taking. Even more than Oregon or anyone else in the Pac-12, USC actually has the easiest path to get into the College Football Playoff. If it goes 12-1 with a Pac-12 title and the lone loss a 43-42 fight at Utah, that’s just fine. However, the best win is against … Washington State? Oregon State?
Win That Matters: USC 17, Oregon State 14
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Utah 43, USC 42
Up Next: Cal
7. UCLA Bruins (7-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 12
The Case For This Spot: The Bruins should slide right in behind wherever Oregon is ranked. The win over Washington was good, the double-digit victory over Utah was great, and the lone loss coming at Oregon is totally acceptable.
Win That Matters: UCLA 42, Utah 32
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Oregon 45, UCLA 30
Up Next: Arizona
6. Oregon Ducks (8-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 8
The Case For This Spot: The Ducks have been as impressive as anyone in America after the Week 1 debacle against Georgia. That includes handing UCLA its only loss. There’s been one competitive game – 44-41 over Washington State – and even that’s a bit misleading with a late score making it relatively close. The offense put up 41 points or more in eight straight games.
Win That Matters: Oregon 45, UCLA 30
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Georgia 49, Oregon 3
Up Next: Washington
5. TCU Horned Frogs (9-0)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 7
The Case For This Spot: It’ll be assumed that TCU ends up in the No. 4 spot as one of the four unbeaten teams remaining, but the overall resumé isn’t as good as Tennessee’s. The Horned Frogs have been good, but the best win so far was against … Kansas State? Kansas? Oklahoma? All good, but nothing special. However, before fretting about where TCU might be ranked, it’s this simple – it’s absolutely 100% in the College Football Playoff if it goes unbeaten.
Win That Matters: TCU 38, Kansas Stat e28
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: TCU 42, SMU 34
Up Next: at Texas
College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings 1-131 | Rankings by Conference
AP Poll | Coaches Poll | Predicting CFP Top 25
Bowl Bubble: Bowl eligible teams, who needs a win?
Ranking the 12 teams realistically in the CFP hunt
NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done. The Top 4
College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 4
4. Tennessee (8-1)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 1
The Case For This Spot: This should be the big talking point spot from the second round of rankings. Yes, Tennessee now has a loss, but losing at Georgia is as acceptable as it gets. The 40-13 win at LSU looks even better now, with wins over Florida and Kentucky are great, and beating Bama is still beating Bama. The Vols have much, much stronger wins than TCU can boast.
Win That Matters: Tennessee 52, Alabama 49
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Georgia 27, Tennessee 13
Up Next: Missouri
3. Michigan Wolverines (9-0)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 5
The Case For This Spot: Michigan has been as predictable as they come. It takes about a half to get up to speed, and then the lines take over and dominate. It happened in the 52-17 win over Rutgers – an avalanche of second half points got it done – and following the blueprint of how the Wolverines have rolled all season long. There isn’t a great win so far, but there hasn’t been any real drama.
Win That Matters: Michigan 41, Penn State 17
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Michigan 34, Maryland 27
Up Next: Nebraska
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 2
The Case For This Spot: Almost literally, blow off the rough performance against a miserable Northwestern team – the game was played in a wild wind storm. Even though it wasn’t pretty, it was still a double-digit road win – no one has come closer than 11 against the Buckeyes. There might not be an amazing win so far, but there are a whole lot of very good ones.
Win That Matters: Ohio State 44, Penn State 31
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Ohio State 21, Northwestern 7
Up Next: Indiana
1. Georgia Bulldogs (9-0)
College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 3
The Case For This Spot: This one is easy. A case could’ve been made for Georgia as the top team in the first round of rankings based on the 49-3 blowout win over Oregon and double-digit wins over everyone but Missouri. Taking down the CFP No. 1 team by 13 will boost the Dawgs up two spots.
Win That Matters: Georgia 27, Tennessee 13
Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Georgia 26, Missouri 22
Up Next: at Mississippi State
College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
Bowl Projections | CFN Rankings 1-131 | Rankings by Conference
AP Poll | Coaches Poll | Predicting CFP Top 25
Bowl Bubble: Bowl eligible teams, who needs a win?
Ranking the 12 teams realistically in the CFP hunt
