Alabama-LSU: Does It Get Any Better?

Nov. 04, 2016

CFP COMMITTEE RANKINGS

The first playoff committee rankings were released Tuesday night, and they're already sparking discussion. As they do every year, the first rankings came out after Week 9. Why now? I have no idea, but we will stick to the rankings themselves for now. If the season ended today, the top four would be:

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Michigan
4. Texas A&M

The Aggies are the surprise team so far as they jumped undefeated Washington for the fourth spot (the Huskies are fifth). After lengthy discussions about the fourth spot, the committee ultimately determined that A&M had a stronger schedule. Alabama is the clear-cut favorite for the top spot, and nobody is arguing against that, but let's take a look at the other teams and see if the committee did get it right.

Clemson: The Tigers have been on a roller coaster to say the least. It's hard to argue against a team that has wins over two ranked teams (Louisville and Florida State) and another win against a surprise team in Auburn. But, the Tigers also struggled mightily with Troy and 4-4 North Carolina State. It may be tough for them to keep this spot as their remaining schedule is less than stellar, and their inconsistent play may cost them. I think the eye test should be a bigger factor in these selections, but I understand that becomes more of an opinion debate....although that's pretty much what the committee is anyways. If Clemson can dominate its final four games, they should get in no problem, but their struggles could hurt them if that trend continues.

Michigan: The only real knock on Michigan is that they haven't played a hard schedule. The only get credit for facing one ranked team in Wisconsin, but they beat Colorado too, who is ranked 15th now and crushed Penn State, who is ranked 12th. My only problem with them being ranked below Clemson, is they have played just as many ranked teams (strength of schedule), looked better in those games and have played wildly more consistent than the Tigers (eye test). One thing that bothers me about the committee is they are selective about margin of victory. For the most part, they don't care about it, but they should. Picking the best teams to be in the playoff is the committee's purpose, and just ask 2014 Florida State what it's like to not belong in the top four.

Texas A&M: This pick actually makes a lot of sense. A&M has played a more difficult schedule than Washington, so the nod goes to them so far. They have played five ranked teams and went 4-1, but three of those teams they beat are no longer ranked. They do have a win over Auburn, who is now ranked ninth, but that makes them 1-1 against currently ranked teams. Now, Washington has two wins against ranked opponents, but one (Stanford) is no longer ranked. The eye test would tell you a different story for these teams. A&M needed overtime to beat two now-unranked teams, didn't look good in its only loss, and has only looked dominant against Prairie View A&M and New Mexico State. Washington has not lost, only struggled against Arizona on the road, and has dominated almost every other game. I think Washington has looked more impressive, but the numbers and facts still say A&M should be higher. One thing the Huskies have going for them is they control their own path to their conference title game, and the Aggies need help.

I would love to be a fly on a wall to hear what is argued for each team. This year may have actually been easier for the committee to produce the rankings since they were really only arguing about spots 2-4. Their first two years have provided much controversy, and this year figures to be more of the same. With undefeated teams falling every week, and two loss teams getting higher rankings, the committee is going to have to convince everyone that their rankings can be backed up with factual information. I'll always be torn about these rankings: I love when they come out because these are the rankings that matter when it comes to the playoff, but I still won't understand why they decide to start them now. Regardless of my opinion, the homestretch of the season is in sight, and this years committee may face the most difficult choices of their three year history.

GROUP OF 5 TOP 4

TPO TOP 4

GOPHERS UPDATE

RECORD: 6-2
LAST WEEK: W, 40-17 @ Illinois
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT: Purdue
OPPONENT RECORD: 3-5
SITE: TCF Bank Stadium
OUTLOOK: Normally a game against Purdue isn't important, but this one could lead to good things. Minnesota needs to control this game and produce momentum heading into the final stretch of the season. A win against the Boilermakers leaves them at 7-2 and sets them up perfectly to win the Big Ten West. Coming off a beatdown from Penn State, Purdue is still struggling as they have in the past. However, Minnesota would be wise to not take the Boilermakers lightly, as they had Nebraska on the ropes two weeks ago. This is a game the Gophers should dominate again, and the run game should allow for that to happen. Defensively, they will have to prepare for QB David Blough, who likes to sling the ball around to his receivers. If Minnesota can force Blough into some poor throws and turn him over, the game will be out of reach quickly. At 7-2, Minnesota would just have to win out, and they would win the division since they would beat the three teams in contention and Iowa certainly isn't winning out the rest of their schedule (which includes Penn State, Michigan and Nebraska). This is a trap game for the Gophers, so they can't get caught looking ahead to Nebraska, or their title hopes will be wiped out.