Reactions to the Week 14 College Football Playoff Rankings
By Tucker Harlin
The second to last group of College Football Playoff rankings were unveiled Tuesday night. Week 13 featured plenty of movement in the SEC and Big 12 while the ACC finds itself with two teams in the field for the first time this season.
These are my biggest reactions to the Week 14 edition of the official College Football Playoff rankings.
WHEN WILL THE COMMITTEE SHIFT TO “BEST TEAMS” AS OPPOSED TO BEING ALL INCLUSIVE?
With every new idea and plan, it’s in the best interest for those who institute it to allow time for its development.
If the group of five and weaker power conferences are always getting one team in the mix and not producing entertaining matchups year after year, then the process should be re-evaluated.
The reason this catches my attention is due to the inclusion of the sixteenth-ranked team in the projected field of 12 this week.
I’m not necessarily arguing Ole Miss, Alabama, and South Carolina are more deserving to get in than Arizona State. But a team that far down in the rankings is going to have a difficult time going to the best at-large bid and making the matchup competitive.
THE PALMETTO BOWL IS AT ITS HIGHEST STAKES SINCE WHEN?????
The rivalry between Clemson and South Carolina has been a one-sided affair over the last decade.
Clemson’s reign as a dominant force in college football from 2015-2020 often meant it had to prevail over the Gamecocks en route to a college football appearance. Granted, it could afford a loss in most of those seasons with how weak the ACC was.
However, South Carolina was never in a situation to compete for a College Football Playoff berth. Now, both the Tigers and Gamecocks have an opportunity to slide into the field with a win next week.
As it stands, South Carolina has more quality wins than its Palmetto Bowl counterpart. Clemson has made a season out of beating up on the Virginias and NC States of the world, but it can change that narrative Saturday.
Additionally, an ACC championship berth isn’t off the table for the Tigers just yet. Should Clemson go to the ACC title and win, it’s suddenly back where it was projected to start the season
THE VOLS WANT GEORGIA TO WIN THE SEC TITLE….. AFTER THEY BEAT VANDERBILT
Tennessee found its way back into the College Football Playoff bracket after a weekend full of chaos in the SEC.
Where is it projected to play? At Georgia, again.
The Vols need to take care of business against Vanderbilt this weekend in order to worry about the final rankings, but they at least know they’re safe from playing in an SEC title game with a win in West End.
A Georgia victory in the SEC championship likely means Tennessee is hosting a College Football Playoff game, the hope of fans going into the season.
One of the two Texas teams in the SEC will play the Bulldogs in Atlanta. Should the Bulldogs lose to Texas, the committee may value their head to head victory against Tennessee as a reason to keep them in the field.
Texas A&M can also play its way into the SEC title should it defeat the Longhorns this weekend. The Vols don’t need another SEC team on the fringe arguing to find its way into the field.
