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Entering championship weekend, the top eight teams in the College Football Playoff Rankings consisted of four undefeated teams and four with a single loss. Three of those one-loss teams had fallen to one of the other teams in the top eight. That is a closely bunched group of teams.
So, when No. 8 beats No. 1, it is less of a surprise than such an event might normally be. Alabama provided the only upset of Championship Week among the top teams by beating Georgia, but it still may not be enough for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Remember, these rankings do not act like a traditional 25 poll where, as long as a team keeps winning, it is unlikely to get passed. Each set of CFP Rankings gets tossed after it is announced with teams reevaluated from scratch every week.
Before we get to the predicted rankings themselves, here’s a refresher listing some of key points the committee members consider when deciding a team’s ranking beyond their on-field record:
Strength of scheduleConference championships (once decided)Head-to-headResults vs. common opponentsResults vs. ranked opponents
Thankfully, the committee’s definition of “ranked opponents” is different than what you’re used to seeing. The rankings they use are the prior week’s CFP Rankings. They do not consider where teams are ranked in the CFP, AP Top 25, etc. when the games are played. Using game-time rankings is the most worthless way to determine “ranked opponents;” in fact, the committee specifically forbids the use of any poll that has a…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-rankings-prediction-texas-rounds-out-top-four-with-liberty-ahead-of-smu-tulane/
Author : Jerry Palm
Publish date : 2023-12-03 06:26:50
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