We entered College football Last weekend of work before College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s top 25 rankings revealed Tuesday night, a prelude to the scintillating home stretch that will determine the final bracket.
There are a few teams near the top of the standings looking to avoid upsets in Week 10 that would disrupt the impressive performances up to this point, but at this rate, most teams have climbed to the top in terms of the nation’s leaderboards.
Here’s an overview of how the selection committee works present What the top 25 players will look like entering the biggest Saturday games in Week 10:
The Buckeyes are the team to beat nationally, anchored by a defense that plays at an elite level and several unbreakable stars with an appetite for explosive plays on the other side of the football. Ohio State will undoubtedly be the top seed in the postseason if we start playoff action this month.
Ranked wins:2 (Texas, Illinois)
A pair of top-10 wins and blowouts at other sites outside of a fourth-quarter victory at Iowa. There’s a lot to like about the Hoosiers, and we don’t see them falling anywhere below second place if they continue like this. Not only did Curt Cignetti find another transfer portal gem in quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but Indiana’s strength and ferocity at the line of scrimmage were equally impressive.
Ranked wins:2 (Illinois, Oregon)
Another data point for the Aggies, one that would raise the value of this team in the eyes of the selection committee. LSU’s blowout on the road Saturday night was a signature victory for Mike Elko and impressed one AP voter enough to place this team No. 1 overall in Week 10. We expect the committee to place Texas A&M in third place, behind two Big Ten giants with similar resumes.
Ranked wins:2 (Notre Dame, LSU)
No team has more wins than the Crimson Tide, and the selection committee will obviously take that into account. With an open date before the first reveal of the top 25 players in the playoffs, we expect Alabama to be — at worst — a No. 4 seed.
Ranked wins:4 (Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Tennessee)
5. Georgia (7-1)
The Bulldogs got the nod over Ole Miss in that spot for the No. 5 seed after beating the Rebels head-to-head a few weeks ago in Athens. A first-round home game at Sanford Stadium would feed families in Georgia, an instant sellout in one of the toughest places to play college football. A three-point loss to Alabama is all that now stands between Georgia playing in mid-December or getting that opening round.
Ranked wins:2 (Tennessee, Ole Miss)
6. Ole Miss (7-1)
Congratulations, Lane Kiffin. You’ll have your first playoff appearance and one more home game if the final seedings are released this week. Saturday’s win at Oklahoma was Kiffin’s first against a ranked SEC opponent on the road during his tenure. With a favorable schedule remaining, the Rebels will have to remain consistent in November to be eliminated.
Ranked wins:2 (LSU, Oklahoma)
Where would the selection committee place the Hurricanes today? Despite one loss in ACC play to Louisville, we expect this group to watch Miami fondly due to the impressive early season wins over various ranked opponents. All analysis indicates that Miami is elite at the line of scrimmage, and that will be taken into account when ranking.
Ranked wins:3 (Notre Dame, USF, Florida State)
8. Vanderbilt (7-1)
The SEC’s fifth selection at this intersection will be the Commodores. You can’t overlook the resume this team built this season, despite three wins over top-25 teams that have since fizzled out for various reasons — in part because of Vanderbilt Defeated they. Back-to-back home wins over ranked teams have pushed Vanderbilt into the top 10 and there is a chance for a third-place finish this weekend at Texas.
Ranked wins:3 (South Carolina, LSU, Missouri)
9. Oregon (7-1)
This win at Penn State doesn’t carry much weight as the season matures for the Ducks, does it? Regardless, Oregon State would be a playoff pick at this point and could even get a first-round matchup at home given how good the Ducks looked coming off of a loss to undefeated Indiana.
Ranked wins:1 (Pennsylvania)
10. BYU (8-0)
Recent wins over Utah State and Iowa have moved the Cougars to the top of the Big 12 standings. Along with Texas Tech’s recent loss to Arizona State and Huge injury concernsBYU will now be the pick as the designated league champion. Kalani Sitake’s program got off to a hot start last fall as well before opting out down the stretch.
Ranked wins:1 (Utah)
One of the five remaining undefeated players in the Power Four, Georgia Tech will earn its first playoff appearance if this week is the final vote. Brent Key has done a tremendous job of avoiding several upsets in the league since beating Clemson in September, and the Yellow Jackets have risen on the back of senior quarterback Heinz King.
Ranked wins:1 (Clemson)
12. Notre Dame (6-2)
The bubble was invented for programs like Notre Dame, which always seems to hover around the 10-win mark with a good two wins each season. Marcus Freeman has the Fighting Irish back in the game, even after losing their first two games of the season to Miami and Texas A&M. An upcoming showdown with current undefeated Navy gives Notre Dame another chance for a good win. But if the season ended today, this would be the first team out due to the automatic bid to the Group of Five (expected: No. 24 Memphis).
Ranked wins:1 (University of Southern California)
13. Tennessee (6-2)
14. Texas Tech (7-1)
15. Louisville (6-1)
16. Cincinnati (7-1)
17. Virginia (7-1)
18. Texas (6-2)
19. Oklahoma (6-2)
20. Missouri (6-2)
21. Michigan (6-2)
22. USC (6-2)
23. Houston (7-1)
24. Memphis (8-1)
25. Utah (6-2)
Projected CFP matchups in the first round
- No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 Vanderbilt
- No. 10 BYU at No. 7 Miami
- No. 11 Georgia Tech at No. 6 Ole Miss
- No. 12 Memphis at No. 5 Georgia
You’ll hear immediate complaint from other leagues if the SEC gets three home games in the first round for various overall picks, but quality wins will be important, and Georgia, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss each have more than Oregon, BYU, Georgia Tech and Memphis this season. With Memphis being the projected Group of Five champion after last week’s win over USF, the Tigers would likely be the highest-ranked team among the non-power states at No. 24. That would take Notre Dame out of the mix at No. 12 and push Memphis to a first-round title shot at fifth-seeded Georgia.
