CFP Poll #2 Preview

Like many college football fans, I was surprised to see Washington ranked fifth in last week’s College Football Playoff rankings, which were the first rankings of the season by the selection committee.  You would think that the only four undefeated, power conference schools (Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, and Washington) would occupy the top 4 spots, but instead of Washington, Texas A&M (then 7-1) jumped past the Huskies to grab the fourth and final spot.

In my view, the CFP committee is clearly trying to gain coverage and media attention by getting people to talk about the rankings, not unlike a reality TV show. It seems like the committee is being very inconsistent because in most observer’s minds, there is no way that the committee would leave out an undefeated conference champion during the sixth and final CFP Poll.  So why is Washington being left out of the top 4? By ranking Alabama, Clemson, and Michigan 1, 2, and 3, you are operating on the assumption that these schools are going to win their conference, so why isn’t the same true for Washington?

Look, things will play themselves out. Most schools have three games left, not to mention conference championships and one or more of the four teams will slip up along the way.

This evening (7pm ET, ESPN), the second set of rankings will be released and here are some of the things I am looking for:

Will Washington be ranked No. 4 or No.5 this week?  With Texas A&M losing to Mississippi State over the weekend, there will be a new No. 4. Washington should slot in, but will the committee given Ohio State perhaps a little extra credit for routing Nebraska 62-3. The OSU game against Nebraska was their most impressive showing of the season, but this has been a very up-and-down team all year and J.T. Barrett has lost so much talent over the past few years at receiver to the NFL, with little replacement.  Washington has been a much more consistent team, and combined with the undefeated record, they belong in my top 4. This will all work itself out when Ohio State hosts Michigan in the season finale.

Will USC enter the Top 25? USC was not in the inagural CFP poll, but the Trojans have made a complete transformation throughout the season, since they inserted QB Sam Darnold into the starting lineup. The Trojans are talented as aways, and my favorite player to watch is RB Ronald Jones. USC travels to Washington for what should be a great matchup (6:30pm, FOX). Hopefully they break into this week’s CFP poll.

How about some love for Western Michigan? Western Michigan is 9-0 (they are actually playing their tenth game tonight as part of a mid-week MACtion showcase) for the first time in school history, but was only No. 23 in the first CFP poll. Yes, I know they are in the MAC, but with only five undefeated teams (Bama, Clemson, Michigan, and Washington, and Western Michigan), they deserve some credit for running the table so far. I’d love to see them come in at No. 16 tonight. I love that there is a playoff, but there is no doubt that it has marginalized some of the non-power 5 schools.

Week 2 AP Poll Rapid Reaction

With last night's conclusion of the first week of the college football season, the Associated Press just released its Week 2 Top 25 Poll.

The first thing that caught my eye was Wisconsin coming in at No. 10 after being unranked to start the season. Saturday's win vs. LSU at Lambeau Field was very nice, but time will tell if they are the 10th best team in the country. The Big Ten West is certainly wide open and the LSU win could springboard the Badgers into a trip to the Big Ten Championship. Will the Badgers be able to keep teams with legit offenses?

One of the inherent flaws of this week's poll (or any September college football poll) is that objectively it is difficult to rank teams based on the small sample size of one game. Do we really think that No. 10 Wisconsin would be able to keep up with No. 13 Louisville for example? Wisconsin has an absolutely brutal start of the Big Ten schedule.  After games versus Georgia State and Akron, they open up the Big Ten with: No. 12 Michigan State, No. 5 Michigan, No. 4. Ohio State, and No. 17 Iowa. The scheduling gods did not do any favors to the Badgers. They could easily be 3-4 near the end of October.

LSU conversely dropped to No. 21, but it is a long season and there is plenty to figure out along the way. They can still win 9+ games, but it seems like the SEC West is Alabama's to lose.

To the casual sports fan, it may be surprising to see Houston at No. 6, but they will continue to get a lot of attention after their big win against Oklahoma. I am also interested in seeing how No. 8 Washington will do throughout the season. The Huskies are this year's media darlings; they started out at No. 14, despite finishing 7-6 last year, and jumped out to No. 8 after beating lowly Rutgers. Their first test will come when they host No. 7 Stanford on September 30th.

Many fan bases are still trying to flush out the memories of Week 1. Speaking of Stanford, the best news is that it is only Week 2 and it is still possible to be this year's Stanford. Last year, the Cardinal lost to Northwestern to open the season, only to rebound and win the Pac 12 and nearly make the College Football Playoff (CFP).

At the end of the season, the only poll that "matters" is the CFP selection committee's Top 25. The CFP Pool typically does not come out until October, so I like to look at the AP poll as a barometer for the season. There is also a Coaches Poll, but I feel like it is kind of a joke since you'd think that the demands of being a college coach would preclude them from getting a good grasp of the national landscape.