Projecting what the top ten of the CFP rankings might have looked like after Week 1
We know, we know — the first College Football Playoff rankings don’t come out until kids are ringing doorbells in the neighborhood for your best handfuls of candy, there is a nip in the air, and we’re all have pumpkin spice latte fatigue. The date of the first release is officially Tuesday, October 31, which begs the question: Will these first rankings be a trick or a treat?
Even with those rankings being so far in the future, it didn’t stop us from projecting what these rankings might have looked like after Week 1 of the college football season. We try our best to take into consideration some of the big wins vs. ho-hum opponents, the dreaded “eyeball test,” and past history of the CFP committee to come up with our best guess as to what the top ten of the rankings might have looked.
Would teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, and Alabama have been given credit for the past? What about the big wins by teams like North Carolina, Colorado, and Florida State.
This will all change drastically week over week so early in the season here, but we like a good challenge. Here’s how we think the top ten of the College Football Playoff rankings may have looked after a very interesting Week 1.
Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)
Why the Ranking
Georgia has won two-straight national championships and didn’t do anything to change that. The committee wouldn’t do anything too crazy with the Bulldogs after Week 1 and would have most likely left them at the top.
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Florida State Seminoles (1-0)
Why the Ranking
Florida State was getting a lot of buzz heading into the season, and it had arguably the best win of Week 1 with the win over a talented SEC squad LSU. Nothing gets more brownie points with the committee than beating a highly ranked SEC team, especially as impressive as what we saw from the Seminoles.
Michigan Wolverines (1-0)
Why the Ranking
Michigan didn’t look great over the weekend, but looked good enough to carry forward what we’ve seen over the last couple of years. It’s a safe bet the Wolverines would be among the top five as the committee would take a wait and see approach.
Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
Why the Ranking
Alabama has taken a backseat to Georgia over the last couple of years, but there’s still plenty of talent Nick Saban has on the roster. Right or wrong, the Tide looked better than the next team below on this projection, so consider that the tiebreaker for this week.
Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)
Why the Ranking
Ohio State actually beat a Power Five, conference opponent on the road, but that was canceled out by knowing that the Buckeyes didn’t look that great on offense against Indiana. Still, history says OSU will get its act together with there will be plenty of opportunities to make a better impression.
USC Trojans (2-0)
Why the Ranking
USC has looked great on offense so far, as expected with Caleb Williams slinging it around, but the jury is still deliberating on the defense. The committee will be able to have a better impression of the Trojans when tested. For now, slotting them here would make sense.
Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0)
Why the Ranking
Honestly, Penn State might be undervalued. It’s a pretty complete team on both side of the ball, but there isn’t the recent elite success to get that historical credit bump. But never fear, the Nittany Lions get a crack at both Ohio State and Michigan, so it’s all there for the taking.
Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)
Why the Ranking
When we are looking at splitting hairs at this point in the rankings, we’re going to give credit to the Vols for at least playing, and soundly beating, a Power Five Virginia team. There’s a lot of talent on Tennessee’s roster, but the committee will wait for one of those statement games.
Washington Huskies
Why the Ranking
At this point in the rankings, there’s not a lot of separating data points. However, with Michael Penix Jr. looking like a true Heisman contender, and what the Huskies did in Week 1 against Boise State, that would play well to have them in the top ten.
Utah Utes (1-0)
Why the Ranking
I struggled with this spot, because I went back and forth between Notre Dame, Texas, and Utah. You could make a case for any of them — and probably a few other teams too — but in the end, I went with the Utes because of the great showing in a win over SEC Florida. Not to beat a dead horse, but that would play well in the committee room. But hey, if you want to put any of the other two team, or even North Carolina or Oregon here, I wouldn’t complain.
