Staying power: Georgia, Alabama dominance keeps SEC atop T-U college football rankings

Gene Frenette, Florida Times-Union
·5 min read

Instead of relying on its traditional overall depth to remain atop the Times-Union college football power rankings, the Southeastern Conference took a different route this year by letting the 1-2 punch of Georgia and Alabama carry it to supremacy.

The SEC stranglehold on college football has shown little sign of slowing down as the ‘Bama dynasty under coach Nick Saban continues its historic pace. But with Georgia knocking off the Crimson Tide to win its first national title in 41 years, that dynamic duo paved the way for the SEC to stay atop the 31st annual T-U rankings for the 13th time in the last 15 years.

Georgia (+132) and Alabama (+109) achieved ratings that put them significantly ahead of the rest of pack, yet another indication that the gap between the SEC elite and the rest of the country is only widening.

Had either Cincinnati or Michigan — the other two College Football Playoff participants — won the national title, the SEC would have had to settle for second place in the race for top conference. But with Georgia and ‘Bama dominating the CFP semifinal games, it solidified the SEC’s standing as its final average rating of +2.85 won by a fairly narrow margin over the Big 12, which finished with a rating of 0.

Following the SEC and Big 12 in the conference rankings were the Big Ten (-7.71), ACC (-24.9), Pac-12 (-29.41), American Athletic (-31.9), Mountain West (-35), Sun Belt (-52.3), Mid-American (-70.58) and Conference USA (-74.21).

While the Big 12 standing was hurt by not having a CFP participant, it was able to nearly overtake the SEC by going 5-2 in both bowl games and head-to-head matchups with top-25 teams outside its conference. The SEC went 6-8 in bowls and only 4-4 against non-conference opponents who finished in the top 25 of the final Associated Press poll.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart celebrates the Bulldogs winning their first national title since 1980 after dethroning SEC champion Alabama 33-18 in the College Football Playoff title game. Georgia rising up figures to only extend the SEC dominance over the rest of the country.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart celebrates the Bulldogs winning their first national title since 1980 after dethroning SEC champion Alabama 33-18 in the College Football Playoff title game. Georgia rising up figures to only extend the SEC dominance over the rest of the country.

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The Big Ten finished a distant third in the conference rankings, mostly because of its 2-9 record against top-25 opponents outside the league. Ohio State beating Utah 48-45 in the Rose Bowl and Michigan State handling Pittsburgh 31-21 in the Peach Bowl were the only wins all season for the Big Ten in that scenario.

Both the ACC and Pac-12 struggled mightily when going up against top competition. The ACC lost all 12 matchups against top 25 teams outside the league, while the Pac-12 went 1-13, that lone victory coming when Oregon knocked off Ohio State 35-28 in Columbus in Week 2 of the regular season.

In the team rankings, Georgia and Alabama created a big separation as they were the only schools to earn two wins apiece over top-5 teams in the final AP poll. They split with each other and beat Michigan and Cincinnati, respectively, in relatively easy fashion in the playoff.

Oklahoma State (+94) finished a distant third in the team rankings, followed by Cincinnati (+85), Baylor (+83), Michigan (+76), Ohio State (+72), Notre Dame (+55), Michigan State (+54) and Oklahoma (+53).

Here are answers to three pertinent questions about the T-U rankings:

Was there any significant change in the conference rankings, since the Power 5 leagues always seem to occupy the top five spots?

A – Two Group of 5 leagues, the AAC and Mountain West, stayed relatively close to the Pac-12 and ACC in overall strength. The Mountain West owned a 6-5 record this season in head-to-head matchups with the Pac-12. Though Clemson managed to win 10 games this season, the ACC didn’t have anywhere near a dominant team and its national credibility takes a hit without the Tigers in the CFP mix.

Was this a historic low for teams from the state of Florida?

A – No question, the Sunshine State had its worst showing as Miami (-5), UCF (-13), Florida (-31) and Florida State (-37) each finished with a negative ranking in the same year for the first time. Though UCF had a respectable 9-4 record and beat the Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl, the Knights’ power ranking was hurt by playing only one top-25 team and losing every road game except against lowly Temple.

Which team stands out as the biggest surprise in the T-U power rankings?

A – There’s not much doubt: It’s San Diego State, which finished 25th in the final Associated Press poll and 11th in the T-U power poll with a +43 rating. The Aztecs (12-2) won six games by one score, including 33-31 in overtime over Pac-12 champion Utah that gave their power ranking a huge lift. Winning that game was a 17-point swing or else the Aztecs would have finished 23rd in the T-U rankings. Losing to Utah State in the Mountain West championship game didn’t hurt as much because USU also cracked the top 25 to improve the Aztecs’ strength of schedule. Programs with at least two top-25 teams avoid the penalties that typically keep Group of 5 teams from advancing this high up in the rankings.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Georgia, Alabama keep SEC atop Times-Union college football rankings