First 12-Team College Football Playoff Ranking For Week 11: Projections And Analysis
Introduction
The College Football Playoff Committee released its first rankings of the season on Tuesday night, and there were some surprises. Some teams that were expected to be in the top four were left out, while others that were not on many people's radars made the cut.
Here is a look at the first 12-team College Football Playoff ranking for Week 11:
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. TCU
5. Tennessee
6. Alabama
7. Clemson
8. USC
9. Penn State
10. Oregon
11. Utah
12. Washington
Surprises
The biggest surprise of the rankings was the omission of LSU. The Tigers were ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll, but they were left out of the top 12 by the College Football Playoff Committee.
Another surprise was the inclusion of TCU. The Horned Frogs are 9-0 this season, but they have not played a particularly strong schedule. However, the committee was impressed by TCU's wins over Oklahoma and Kansas State.
Projections
The College Football Playoff Committee will release its final rankings of the season on December 4th. Here are some projections for how the top four teams will look:
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. TCU
Analysis
The first College Football Playoff ranking of the season is just a snapshot of where the committee is at this point in the year. There is still a lot of football to be played, and the rankings will likely change several times before the final four teams are selected.
However, the first ranking does give us some insight into the committee's thinking. It is clear that the committee values wins over quality opponents, and it is also willing to give some consideration to teams that have not played the toughest schedules.
The next few weeks of the college football season will be very important. The teams that are in contention for the College Football Playoff will need to continue to win, and they will also need to impress the committee with the quality of their victories.