“In all the years we’ve done this,” ESPN studio host Rece Davis said Tuesday afternoon, “of the first rankings, there are probably more questions and more head-scratching moments.”
Welcome to the unpredictable, inexplicable, nonsensical world of the CFP selection committee, an event like no other.
The big winner Tuesday afternoon? The SEC, which placed five teams in the top 10 and gobbled 10 of the 25 spots in all.
Meanwhile, the Big Ten only placed two teams in the top 10: fourth-ranked Indiana and No. 8 UCLA.
The Big 12 placed two teams in the top 10, as well: undefeated Utah is No. 3 and one-loss BYU is No. 9. Notably, the Cougars were two spots ahead of Notre Dame, which reflects the recent head-to-head victory in Provo.
But it was all good news for the Big 12. Texas Tech, in the 15th position, was a tad lower than expected. (The conference placed a total of five teams, with No. 17 Houston and No. 23 Arizona.)
The biggest loser of the rankings reveal?
Probably Notre Dame, which landed in the 11th position — a precarious spot given its modest remaining schedule. If the Irish lose to Miami on Saturday, their prospects for an at-large bid would turn dim.
“They don’t have that signature win right now,” selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek, the Arkansas athletic director, told ESPN.
There was no shortage of baffling decisions from the 13-person committee:
— Undefeated UCLA was far below the other unbeaten teams, No. 1 Miami and No. 3 Utah, and below two two-loss teams from the SEC.
— Fifth-ranked Alabama was eight spots ahead of Tennessee even though the Volunteers won the head-to-head matchup convincingly.
— Fourth-ranked Indiana was eight spots ahead of Ohio State even though the Buckeyes won the head-to-head matchup (in Bloomington, no less) and have a better strength of schedule.
When asked to explain the disparity, Yurachek explained that because the Hoosiers and Buckeyes were so far apart during the evaluation process, “we never got to the point where we compared (them).”
(That was the same misguided approach the committee used last year that led to the Notre Dame-Miami controversy in the final rankings.)
The committee appeared to value schedule strength and quality wins with its placement of two-loss Alabama, Texas and Mississippi in the top 10. And yet, there was Indiana in the fourth spot with a weak schedule.
The bottom tier of the rankings was revealing, as well.
As expected, Boise State was the only Group of Six team to crack the rankings, but the Broncos were perhaps a tick lower than expected in the No. 25 position.
Also, Oregon — yes, Oregon — was included even though the three-loss Ducks have rarely looked the part of a quality team.
In fact, they were one of three ranked teams with three losses. That suggests the committee might have no choice in the final edition (Dec. 6) but to take the unprecedented step of inviting a 9-3 team into the at-large pool.
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The post College Football Playoff rankings: SEC dominates, Notre Dame dinged and confounding decisions across the spectrum first appeared on Sports360AZ.