In college football in Week 12, the top four teams in the country are all battling for a win.Did this change this week’s college football playoff rankings? Not really. The top four remain unchanged, with Georgia at number one. 1. Ohio State University 2. Michigan ranked No. 3 and TCU ranked No. 1. 4 after beating Baylor.
However, there was a shake-up behind the top-four teams. One of the most notable moves was Tennessee’s fall from No. 1. No. 5 No. 10 South Carolina and North Carolina dropped from No. 13 to No. 10. No. 17 after a loss to Georgia Tech.
So which teams are overrated and underrated in the updated College Football Playoff rankings as we head into the final weekend of the regular season? Let’s take a look.
The Crimson Tide, who lost twice, was in first place. 7, one place ahead of Clemson, which lost a game, and three ahead of Tennessee, who has the same record as the team they lost to in October. Why? Because of recency bias and the fact that Tennessee just got smoked by unranked South Carolina? This is not a reasonable excuse.
Alabama struggled to beat Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. This is in addition to the No. 1 “significant loss”. 5 LSU and 10th Tennessee, CFP selection committee chair Boo Corrigan mentioned Tennessee on the air. “Game control” is an often-cited metric by the committee, and Alabama has struggled to control a few games this year even in wins. Crimson Tide is number one. 7 Because of brand recognition – that’s all.
Underrated: USC
The Trojans win in first place. No. 21 Oregon State 18 UCLA, which appeared in Week 12. Its one loss was a wild one-point loss en route to No. 1. 14 Utah. Why, exactly, did it fall behind two failed LSUs? This seems more like a nod to the SEC, or conversely, a punishment for the Pac-12.
Tigers have two losses: Week 1 to No. 1. Florida State, ranked No. 16, suffered a heavy loss at home to No. 16. 10 Tennessee. Their signature win over first place. 7 Alabama and no. 20 Miss Ole.These are solid wins, but they are That Much better than what USC posted? Do not. USC should be rewarded for its 10 wins, not punished for conference perception, even though it has a better résumé than the team above it.
The Ducks, who have lost both, are No. 1. 9. Don’t get me wrong, after a 20-17 win over Utah, it was a fantastic win. However, they are two weeks away from a home defeat. 13 Washington snapped a 23-game home winning streak at Autzen Stadium.
Oregon is benefiting from the skepticism as it lost to No. 1 Georgia State in Week 1, even though it was a 49-3 win and the Dodgers could have scored 70 points if they wanted to. Point differential should matter…at least a little bit. It seems like Oregon is only being rewarded for its game against Georgia in Atlanta rather than the actual performance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Underrated: Washington
The Huskies, ranked 13th in the “underrated” section, tied with Oregon, which was listed as “overrated.” Washington beat Oregon on the road and had a win over the No. 1 team. 21 Oregon. This is very important. A passing offense led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. One of the most dynamic teams in the country, coach Kalen DeBoer revived a once-proud program as a contender in just one season.
Washington lost to UCLA, the team Oregon beat. It also had an inexplicable loss to Arizona State, which clearly resonated within the confines of the room, rather than the Huskies-Ducks head-to-head. If all things are equal, or at least close to being equal, then the outcome of a head-to-head fight matters. From a resume standpoint, Washington is very close and deserves a higher ranking than Oregon.