College Football Playoff Rankings: Most Overrated, Underrated Teams

The latest College Football Playoff rankings sparked a question: Who’s fooling the committee?

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy identified an SEC playoff team from last season as the most overrated squad in the latest set of CFP rankings.

“When you look at the rankings, one team has three losses, that’s Tennessee. Then, you go look at Tennessee’s schedule, they haven’t beaten anybody. I think their best win is actually Mississippi State, so they probably have no business being in the top 25. They’d be my most overrated team,” Portnoy said on “Big Noon Kickoff.”

FOX Sports college football analyst Mark Ingram agreed, noting that the Volunteers’ defense, which ranks near the bottom of the SEC in opponent total yards (395.9 per game) and points allowed (31.1 per game), is among the worst in the country. Tennessee has dropped all three of its ranked matchups (Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma) and sits at 6-3.

Barstool Sports’ Dan “Big Cat” Katz pointed to a Group of 6 team as the most overrated in the second set of rankings.

“My most overrated team is easy, it’s [No. 24] South Florida,” Katz said. “They get credit for beating a bad Boise State team. They get credit for beating a bad Florida team. … You won some big games in September. They’re not that big now. South Florida’s overrated.”

South Florida is 7-2 overall, with Boise State and Florida being its two ranked wins. Boise State, which reached the quarterfinal round of last season’s College Football Playoff, began the 2025 season ranked No. 25 country and is now 6-3 overall. Florida, which began the season ranked No. 15, is now 3-6 overall and fired head coach Billy Napier last month.

What about the most underrated team?

“I think James Madison is underrated,” Katz said. “James Madison beat Texas State, who beat UTSA, who beat Tulane, who beat Memphis, who then beat USF. … James Madison should be in the playoff over USF.”

The Dukes are 8-1 overall and 6-0 in Sun Belt play.

“My team is Texas Tech,” Ingram said. “Their only loss came when their starting quarterback [Behren Morton] was hurt. They have a top-five offense in the country and a top-five defense in the country, and they’re No. 6. I don’t know why they’re that far back in the rankings. They should be up there in the top-four, vying for a first-round bye.”

The Red Raiders are 9-1 overall and 6-1 in Big 12 play, with a win on the road against Utah and at home against BYU. 

Naturally, Portnoy pointed to his beloved Wolverines as the most underrated team.

“Nobody wants to see Michigan on their schedule,” Portnoy said. I think Michigan is very dangerous, very underrated around 18. They’re my most underrated team in the rankings.”

The Wolverines are 7-2 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten play. Michigan plays Nebraska at Wrigley Field on Saturday (12 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

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