The College Football Playoff committee showed its hand, and it was full of confusion, inconsistency and a lot of affection for Iowa.
If you were hoping Tuesday night would bring some clarity, think again. Iowa’s getting love after a home loss, Miami is the highest ranked team in the ACC, and the Group of 6 continues to get snubbed.
Here are my takeaways from this week’s CFP rankings.
1. The committee loves Iowa
It’s not just that Iowa remains ranked in the CFP committee’s top 25 — it’s that the Hawkeyes were allowed to stay there after suffering their 12th straight loss to an AP top-10 team, and their second such defeat this season.
The Hawkeyes don’t really have a shot at the CFP, with five Big Ten teams ranked ahead of them, including two that have beaten them head-to-head. And yet CFP chair Mack Rhoades cited Indiana and Oregon’s wins over Iowa as key markers in justifying each program’s place near the top of this week’s rankings.
It makes you wonder: how high would the committee rank the Hawkeyes if they’d managed to upset either Indiana or Oregon? Perhaps we’ll find out this weekend against USC.
Tight end D.J. Vonnahme #81 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates a touchdown in the first half against the Oregon Ducks. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
2. The Hoosiers are the apple of the CFP committee’s eye
Importantly, Indiana’s wins over Oregon and Iowa also factored into the Hoosiers staying ranked ahead of Texas A&M, despite A&M’s victories over Notre Dame and previously ranked Missouri this season.
Rhoades made sure to praise Indiana’s road wins at Oregon and Iowa while downplaying Texas A&M’s win over Missouri — because, as he noted, the Tigers started a true freshman quarterback.
But this is the same Missouri team the committee ranked in the top 25 knowing who the starting quarterback would be going into that game. It’s either that, or they’re not paying attention. It can’t be both. And one explanation is hypocritical, while the other is negligent.
Making a 12-team bracket is always a Herculean ask (one I can understand, as I’ve been making a 24-team bracket weekly), but consistency matters.
3. What is Miami doing representing the ACC?
The selection committee doesn’t think much of the ACC — and what it does think is a bit baffling.
The committee ranked Miami at No. 15, disregarding Louisville’s head-to-head win over the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium and overlooking the fact that Georgia Tech remains the ACC’s only one-loss team.
While five ACC teams appear in the committee’s top 25, perhaps the best of the bunch sits lowest at No. 22 Pittsburgh. And yet, Rhoades made it clear the committee doesn’t view the ACC’s internal cannibalization the same way it does in the Big Ten or SEC.
“We look at each of the teams, and I think, for the ACC, when you look at their non-conference schedule, there really are no signature wins other than Miami versus Notre Dame,” Rhoades said.
4. G6 representation! But is it the wrong team … ?
South Florida became the first team outside the Power 4 to make the committee’s rankings this week — and yet, it’s the illogical Group of 6 team to rank.
James Madison’s only loss this season came against a ranked Louisville team, meaning the Dukes remain undefeated in conference play. Other unranked programs still unbeaten in conference play include Kennesaw State, Jacksonville State and Southern Miss.
When it comes to picking the best team in the Group of 6 — or any of these teams, really — the committee doesn’t care about wins and losses. It cares about its collective opinion. Never mind the results. Never mind that there’s no room for all teams who win a conference championship to compete for a national title.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him @RJ_Young.
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