The month of November brings many things in the world of college sports. College football, the start of college basketball begins, and then, of course, we get the College Football Playoff rankings every Tuesday night.
There have been plenty of head-scratching moments from the playoff committee on a weekly basis, so I thought it would be fun to share my three thoughts on this week’s playoff rankings.
Two Teams is A Pipe Dream
With BYU not being inside the top ten heading into the final weekend of the regular season, it’s going to take a miracle for the Big 12 to get two teams into the playoffs. A few weeks ago, it was a real possibility, but with Texas Tech being the only top ten team (currently #5), it’s going to take total chaos for things to fall in line. It’s clear that Texas Tech is the top dog in the conference, and it’s going to take a lot for anyone to knock them out.
The Big 12’s only hope to get a second team in is for a team like BYU or Utah to get into the conference championship game and take down the Red Raiders. Because they are the only team in the Big 12 that could afford a loss in Arlington and still have a great chance to get in. It’s a shame because I feel like this conference is deep enough at the top to get at least two teams in, but the committee obviously doesn’t feel the same way due to their bias.
Utah Got Screwed
Despite beating Kansas State last weekend, the committee decided to punish Utah and swap the Utes for Miami, who beat a bad Virginia Tech team, which Kansas State would completely destroy. Utah’s two losses this season have come at the hands of BYU and Texas Tech, who are both in the top 11. Meanwhile, Miami’s two losses have come against unranked teams, and one of those losses was at home. Why in the world is Utah getting moved down after winning? What did the Hurricanes do to deserve to get bumped up a spot this past weekend? Beating a 3-8 Virginia Tech team by 17 was enough to justify a bump up? It makes zero sense to me, and even though Utah still needs help to get in this move by the committee will make it that much harder.
Hello Arizona
For the first time this season, Arizona has cracked the top 25, taking up the last spot in the rankings. The Wildcats have had a great year so far, getting to eight wins after winning just four games last season. Their offense has been rolling with Noah Fifita, who has looked like his old self, and defensively, they have improved leaps and bounds compared to a year ago. This weekend, the Wildcats have a chance to notch a top 25 win on the road against their in-state rival, Arizona State, and reach nine wins for just the second time in ten years.
