Second College Football Playoff Rankings Reaction

2. Ole Miss and Ohio State Are the Biggest Losers in Second Playoff Rankings

Ole Miss and Ohio State had great opportunities to boost their resumes in Week 10, as both faced ranked opponents in what would be their final games against them. The job was simple for both teams: win, and a spot in the College Football Playoff was within reach, with their remaining games against unranked opponents. Instead, both teams were blown out, and now their College Football Playoff hopes are essentially dead, as both teams fell out of the top 18 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

It was a horrible performance for the Rebels, as they were blown out by now-No.1 Georgia 42-7 in a game where they were dominated from start to finish. It wasn’t expected that Ole Miss would get blown out at home, especially since they were on a 16-game winning streak before this game. The Rebels never settled in, as the Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first three drives and went into halftime up 28-0. The game was over from there, as Ole Miss scored only seven points, committed two turnovers, managed just 252 yards, and allowed 42 points. Because of this terrible performance, the committee rightly punished them by dropping them from No. 10 to No. 19.

Like Ole Miss, Ohio State was embarrassed at home, losing 41-28 to a three-loss Oregon team. While the scoreline looks respectable, the Buckeyes were outplayed after a 14-point first-quarter lead as the Ducks scored 38 unanswered points to put the game out of reach. Their defense has fallen apart, giving up 71 points in the last two weeks. The committee’s worries about the offense without Julian Sayin have become understandable, as they went eight consecutive drives without scoring after taking a 14-0 first-quarter lead and generating 248 yards offensively before the last two garbage-time drives. Now, the Buckeyes have fallen from No. 12 to No. 20 in the second College Football Playoff rankings.

These losses are soul-crushing for both teams, as they have now seen their Playoff hopes fall apart after being contenders at the beginning of the season. While it’s still not mathematically over for either team, their remaining three games don’t offer a chance to boost their resume, as they play unranked opponents. Even if they win out, it probably won’t be enough to convince the selection committee to give them a spot in the Playoff. Ole Miss and Ohio State are set to be among this year’s disappointments, one year after both teams made the Playoff.

3. UCLA Finally Gets the Respect It Deserves With High Ranking

In the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, one of the biggest surprises was UCLA’s ranking despite being unbeaten. It was ranked No. 8, below five teams with one or two losses. While a weak schedule played a part, it was questionable for the selection committee to rank the Bruins this low, especially below a one-loss Indiana team. Now, after yesterday’s College Football Playoff rankings, the selection committee finally gave UCLA the respect it deserves, moving it from No. 8 to No. 4.

Week 10 was a big week for UCLA, as it was on upset alert against a Minnesota team that upset No. 15 Iowa and nearly upset No. 9 Indiana two weeks ago. There were a lot of factors against the Bruins, as they had to travel across the country and play in cold conditions they weren’t used to. With those factors against them, and under pressure to avoid an upset and keep their College Playoff hopes alive, it would take a lot of resilience. They did exactly that, winning 34-20 against a tough Golden Gophers team.

This was a back-and-forth battle, with the game tied 10-10 at halftime and 17-17 with about 13 minutes left. Then the Bruins turned up the speed, outscoring the Golden Gophers 17-3 to win. UCLA did this by scoring two consecutive one-play, 75-yard touchdowns, holding Minnesota to three points in its last three drives, and forcing an interception on one of those drives. Quarterback Ty Dieffenbach continues to fill in admirably for Nico Iamaleava, who is out for the season, throwing three touchdowns on 303 yards despite completing only eight passes. The defense forced a critical turnover and held the Golden Gophers to four third-down conversions on 15 attempts.

Head coach Bob Chesney deserves a lot of credit for turning this program around, as it went from one of the worst teams in the Big Ten to No. 4 in the second College Football Playoff. The selection committee is finally honoring the Bruins as one of only two FBS teams with an unbeaten record, and they might now have room for error. With one ranked game remaining and a berth in the Big Ten Championship game in sight, a one-loss UCLA team might now be enough to make the Playoff.

The Last Word

Overall, as with the first College Football Playoff rankings, there were a lot of surprises, as Indiana fell to No. 9 after being ranked No. 4 despite a bye week this week. There were also still some questionable decisions by the selection committee, as a two-loss Alabama team, which is ranked No. 3 is ranked ahead of unbeaten UCLA, one-loss Notre Dame, and a one-loss Miami team that fell to No. 7 after being No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings last week.

There are a lot of storylines from the second College Football Playoff rankings, but one of the big ones is BYU, who are still alive in the playoff despite losing to Utah last week. It only fell from No. 9 to No. 10, as the team still has a path to the Playoff despite two losses. Also, the pressure is on for the Hoosiers in Week 11 after falling to No. 9, as they face No. 18 USC, and a loss could open the door for teams like Wake Forest, ranked No. 13, to make the Playoff.

After the second College Football Playoff rankings, five SEC teams, two Big Ten teams, two Big 12 teams, one ACC team, and one independent team are currently in the playoff bracket, with Boise State as the No. 12 seed and the highest-ranked Group of Six team despite being ranked No. 24. With four editions left and so many ranked matchups left starting this week, it wouldn’t be shocking if we continue to see drastic changes in the 12-team playoff bracket.