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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Ohio State grabs the top spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, with Georgia close behind at number two.
The rankings put Michigan at number three, despite ongoing NCAA investigations into sign-stealing allegations. Florida State comes in at number four, followed by Washington at number five. Oregon is the highest-ranked one-loss team, sitting at number six, while Texas edges out Alabama at number seven due to their head-to-head win in September.
“We took into consideration their big wins over Notre Dame and Penn State, as well as their offensive playmakers,” said CFP chair Boo Corrigan in ESPN’s rankings release show. “Ohio State deserved the top spot.”
With five undefeated Power 5 teams in contention, the committee faced the challenge of differentiating between them. Strength of schedule played a crucial role in determining the rankings.
“As a group, the 13 of us in the room, we felt this was the order for the top four slots,” Corrigan added.
Ohio State has faced a much tougher schedule than Georgia, securing victories against Penn State (No. 11) and Notre Dame (No. 15). Georgia, on the other hand, has no wins against top-25 teams and boasts a weak strength of schedule ranking at No. 100, according to ESPN metrics. They have only managed to defeat two FBS teams with winning records.
Michigan’s schedule is even weaker than Georgia’s, ranking at No. 111.
However, these metrics are bound to change as both Ohio State and Michigan face their toughest opponents in the upcoming weeks. Georgia has challenging matchups against No. 12 Missouri, No. 10 Ole Miss, and No. 17 Tennessee, while Michigan is set to play against No. 11 Penn State and No. 1 Ohio State.
The highly-anticipated rivalry game between Ohio State and Michigan could have significant implications for the playoff race. Corrigan also mentioned Michigan’s ongoing investigation and its potential impact on their postseason prospects.
“We consider it to be an NCAA issue rather than a CFP issue,” Corrigan clarified. “At this point, we’re focused on identifying the top four teams.”
As for Florida State and Washington, the Huskies hold the better victory over No. 6 Oregon. However, they struggled against losing teams in recent weeks, requiring late comebacks against Arizona State and Stanford to secure wins. Similarly, Washington, Michigan, and Georgia all face crucial matchups ahead that could bolster their strength of schedule compared to Florida State.
“This is just the beginning. We still have a lot of football left to play,” said Washington coach Kalen DeBoer during the show. “We’ve handled our business so far, but the upcoming month is critical for us.”
Washington’s upcoming schedule includes games against No. 20 USC, No. 18 Utah, and No. 16 Oregon State.
“We find ourselves in a different position than last year. We have a target on our backs,” DeBoer acknowledged. “We need to rise to the occasion, and so far, we’ve shown that ability.”
On the other hand, Florida State’s lack of top-25 victories seems to have had little impact on the committee’s perception of them, despite playing in the ACC with only one other ranked team (No. 13 Louisville). Notably, Florida State and Louisville will not face each other in the regular season, leaving the Seminoles without any remaining matchups against ranked opponents.
“The decision-making process involves many factors, including the presence of three new committee members in the room,” Corrigan explained. “Our priority is to get it right and ensure we’re comfortable with our selections. Looking at Washington, we had some concerns.”
Lastly, Air Force (8-0) secured a spot at number 25 in the rankings, but they are not the top-ranked Group of 5 school. Despite a loss, Tulane (7-1) sits just ahead of Air Force at number 24.
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