What the top ten of the College Football Playoff Rankings might have looked like after Week 8
We are now less than a week away from the first set of rankings by the College Football Playoff committee so things are about to get real — finally. However, we’re a little impatient and resourceful (opinions vary), so we’ve been trying to figure this whole thing out from early on in the season and will have reaction when the rankings are released beginning next Tuesday and beyond.
We’d like to tell you that we have a tried and true formula to project what the CFP committee has and will continue to do, but as we’ve seen, you might as well throw any of that out the window because things haven’t exactly followed a normal pattern each and every year.
Regardless, we’ve now seen eight weeks of the college football season so we’ve had some pretty good eyeballs on all the fun that makes up the race for the College Football Playoff. We’re moving forward with efforts to peer into the crystal ball to reveal what we think the CFP Rankings might have looked like after last week’s action.
There are sure to still be some surprises and juggling of all of this, but here’s where we believe things might have stood.
Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1)
Iowa junior center Tyler Linderbaum reacts after the Hawkeyes secured a first down in the second quarter against Penn State at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
We’ve kind of forgotten about Iowa since the Hawkeyes unexplainably lost to an unranked Purdue team, but the College Football Playoff Committee will still value a couple of pretty good ranked wins Iowa has. Iowa State would probably be ranked after a resurgence, and there’s the win over a Penn State team that would likely be in the CFP top 25 for now. Like it or not, the Hawkeyes still have just one loss in one of the top two conferences in America.
Ole Miss Rebels (6-1)
Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral (2) during a football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
Very quietly, Ole Miss is making some noise in the SEC with Heisman hopeful Matt Corral at quarterback. So far so good, with the only loss coming at the hands of Alabama, and we all know how the committee loves them a quality loss in the SEC. The game at Auburn looms large this weekend.
Michigan State Spartans (7-0)
Oct 9, 2021; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back Kenneth Walker III (9) carries the ball past Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive lineman Ifeanyi Maijeh (88) during the first half at SHI Stadium. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
I’m not sure I’m sold on Michigan State ending up around here when the season ends, but the committee would give credit to the Spartans for being an undefeated squad in the tough Big Ten. The lack of a statement win keeps the Spartans from moving much higher, but that opportunity is in front of them this weekend when arch-rival Michigan comes to town.
Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1)
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau (44) and defensive end Zach Harrison (9) celebrate a sack by defensive tackle Ty Hamilton (58) sacks Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Grant Gremel (16) during the second quarter of the NCAA football game at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
As much as we’d all love to see Ohio State higher at this point, the Buckeyes simply do not have a statement win yet. Yes the team is explosive on offense and yes it has looked much better since that loss to Oregon, but until the committee sees OSU do it against a ranked opponent, this is about where things would probably stand. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of opportunities to make up ground with a back-loaded conference schedule.
Oregon Ducks (6-1)
Sep 11, 2021; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
Just when it looked like Oregon was about ready to slide off into the CFP abyss, it rebounded to beat a solid UCLA team out in Pasadena to recharge things a bit. I don’t know if anyone believes the Ducks would beat the Buckeyes if the two played again at this point, but the head-to-head still matters when comparing two teams with similar resumes. Because of that, we think Oregon gets slotted one spot higher than Ohio State for now.
Michigan Wolverines (7-0)
Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua talks to defensive lineman Christopher Hinton (15) and Michigan linebacker David Ojabo (55) during the first half Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
At 7-0, I think we can officially proclaim this a nice rebound year for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan. The team looks much more physical and focused on both sides of the ball. However, we’ve seen this similar song before and the schedule is about to get much tougher. First up, beat the Spartans, then, keep grinding out victories. The committee would value Michigan as an undefeated Power Five team that’s had good game control for the most part so far this year.
Cincinnat Bearcats (7-0)
Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Darrian Beavers (0) celebrates after forcing a rushed throw in the second half of the NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bearcats defeated Miami Redhawks 49-14. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
We had Cincinnati a spot closer to the top last week but we’ve seen the selection committee has a hard time believing that a Group of Five team belongs in the College Football Playoff. Not so begrudgingly, we think the group-think would have prevailed and dropped Cincy a spot because of the struggle the Bearcats had with Navy last weekend.
Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
Jan 11, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban leads his team onto the field before playing then Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
Alabama has rebounded resoundingly after the loss to Texas A&M and that would give the CFP committee all the ammo it needs to vault the Tide up into the No. 3 spot. Whether anyone wants to believe it or not, and whether it is intentional or not, there is a historical tendency to reward Alabama and teams that play close games against Alabama in the rankings. So yeah, here we go again.
Oklahoma Sooners (8-0)
Oklahoma’s Caleb Williams (13) lines up for a play during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Oklahoma won 52-31. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
You could make a case for Oklahoma sliding down because of how many narrow escapes it has had so far this season. The reality though is that the Sooners have won every game put before them against a decent schedule in a Power Five conference. Eight wins lead all FBS teams, and all of that would play up well to the committee.
Georgia Bulldogs (7-0)
Dec 12, 2020; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A detailed view of a Georgia Bulldogs helmet during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Reason for the Ranking
Don’t fall into the hype that Georgia is unbeatable, but there’s no denying that the Bulldogs have looked better than any team in the country right now. There continue to be questions on the offensive side of the ball if the Dawgs happen to get in a shootout, but the defense has come to play each and every week.
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