Paul Finebaum ranks his top 5 teams ahead of second CFP ranking
With the second College Football Playoff rankings set to be revealed this week, ESPN college football expert and show host, Paul Finebaum, shared which five teams he believes are the strongest in the nation.
Only three weeks are remaining in the 2023 college football regular season, but we still don’t have a very clear picture as to which four teams are favorites to make the playoffs.
Alabama currently ranks No. 8, but is considered by many to be a serious contender. Ohio State ranked No. 1 in the initial rankings but could end up on the outside of the top-four teams when the final rankings are locked in.
Georgia
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The Bulldogs were not ranked No. 1 in the initial rankings, but Finebaum still views them as the best team in the nation. Georgia escaped the Week 10 matchup against Missouri with a win, but will have to take on Ole Miss next week.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were the top-ranked team in the initial rankings and eventually pulled away from Rutgers in Week 10. Ohio State is behind Georgia, according to Finebaum. Until an upset happens or this team endures a near-loss in an ugly fashion, I don’t see them falling from the top.
Michigan
Michigan’s season has been clouded by headlines regarding the coaching staff, but this team has played well. We will see if they are playoff material over the next few weeks.
Florida State
The Seminoles run the ACC and there’s not a single team in the conference that comes close to them. Florida State has a few quality wins, but many are concerned over the team’s strength and whether or not is has been accurately tested.
Washington
The Huskies are just outside the top four in Finebaum’s opinion, which is valid. At times, Washington looks invincible, but there are others when they do not look remotely close to being a CFP team. At this point, it feels like the winner of the conference championship earns a big to the playoffs.
Teams left out
The three teams on the outside looking in are Oregon, Texas and Alabama. It seems like, at this point, the only way into the top four for all three of these teams would be to win their respective conference championships.
