Three Big Takeaways from the Champ Week College Football Playoff Rankings
By Tucker Harlin
The College Football Playoff committee released its second to last group of rankings ahead of conference championship weekend on Tuesday evening.
This committee loves to disagree with its own reasoning week after week. One week, strength of schedule is on a pedestal while head to head doesn’t matter, but suddenly head to head is relevant for the next three weeks. This week was no different.
Here are my three biggest takeaways from the committee’s logic.
IF THE CARDS FALL RIGHT, PENN STATE COULD LEAVE CHAMP WEEK AS THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY
It’s wild to consider the fact James Franklin could be coaching the highest-ranked team in the country after essentially beating nobody all season.
But a win in a conference championship test against Oregon along with other desirable results could catapult the Nittany Lions to the #1 spot, earning them a Rose Bowl berth and first round bye.
Winning against Oregon is the biggest obstacle here as James Franklin’s next big win will be his first. But let’s say Penn State wins and Georgia wins, and suddenly you’re looking at a new #1.
Even if Penn State loses to Oregon, it has the most desirable path of anybody in the College Football Playoff. The 5-seed plays the lowest seeded team at home and then plays the 4-seed in whichever bowl it’s tied to.
All because the Nittany Lions won ugly against Illinois at home.
WHEN DID IT BECOME ILLEGAL TO EXCLUDE ALABAMA FROM THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF?
I’m not exaggerating when I say this is the worst team Alabama has fielded in over 15 years. If anything, Alabama has confirmed my theory it would have been an 8-4 team in 2023 without Nick Saban.
While I’ve always viewed him as a fierce competitor, I’ve never looked at Jalen Milroe as a guy that can win championships. You could tell the rest of the college football world had caught up to Alabama last season with how dangerously it lived with Milroe.
A week after fooling all of us into thinking the Saban to DeBoer transition was seamless in a win over Georgia, the Tide went out and lost to Vanderbilt for the first time in 40 years in front of a crowd full of its own fans.
Milroe wasn’t at fault for Alabama’s struggles. Yet.
Tennessee published a novel about how to slow down Milroe on the Third Saturday in October, a novel so good Oklahoma published a sequel in its 24-3 beatdown of the Tide. While Ryan Williams has big play capability, the Vols and Sooners learned Milroe leans on Williams as a security blanket, a weakness they exploited in their wins over the Tide.
But despite all these weaknesses, the College Football Playoff committee views the Tide as worthy of a spot in its playoff. The committee has Alabama lined up to play at Notre Dame as an 11-seed.
If Oklahoma can win by three touchdowns against Alabama while solely running the football and relying on its defense for the rest, Notre Dame should have no problem should it draw the Tide.
WHY IS OHIO STATE GETTING BETTER TREATMENT FOR LOSSES THAN SEC TEAMS GET FOR CLOSE WINS?
The College Football Playoff committee loves to shock, confuse, and anger the fans of the sport we all love.
Now before you correct me, I understand Warde Manuel isn’t the committee, just the chairman. But why is the committee only docking the Buckeyes four spots for losing at home to the worst team up north since Brady Hoke walked the sidelines?
Michigan didn’t score an offensive touchdown in Columbus. Its quarterback threw for 62 yards and two interceptions. But it still won against then #2 Ohio State.
While I still believe Ohio State is one of the most talented teams in the country, I can’t overlook the fact the Buckeyes’ quarterback and coach accidentally backed their way into those roles.
There’s more to the Ohio State conundrum that I can’t ignore.
The Buckeyes were pegged down four spots for losing to a 7-5 team that lost steam over the course of the year, the same punishment Tennessee received from the AP after holding off a 7-5 team that gained steam. Georgia was ousted from the field of 12 after it lost to a playoff hopeful in Ole Miss.
