Georgia football, Florida State ... or Washington? Here's who we'd rank No. 1 in CFP
Nine years ago, Mississippi State ranked No. 1 in the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings. Ohio State ranked No. 16.
Two and a half months later, the Buckeyes celebrated as national champions. Mississippi State finished 10-3, including a loss to Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
So, go ahead, watch Tuesday’s CFP rankings reveal with interest. Become miffed if you think your team gets snubbed by the committee’s pecking order. But, remember, how you’re ranked on Halloween isn’t a great predictor of which team will win the national championship.
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the résumés for the five remaining undefeated teams from Power Five conferences. They agree on who should be ranked No. 1. They also agree that the committee will rank Ohio State No. 1, rewarding the Buckeyes’ wins at Notre Dame and against Penn State. They disagree on just about everything else.
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Here's a look at how Toppmeyer and Adams would order the top five.
Blake Toppmeyer’s top five
1. Florida State: The Seminoles opened with an impressive neutral-site win over LSU, and they hit full stride in October, when they crushed one ACC foe after another. Jordan Travis is a good quarterback, and he enjoys a strong complement of skill-position talent. FSU’s defense isn’t as elite as some other teams on this list, but it’s solid.
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2. Michigan: I’m breaking one of my usual rules here, because I normally like to reward teams that schedule good opponents and beat them. To the contrary, Michigan’s schedule has been incredibly soft. But, I can’t ignore what my eyes have seen. The Wolverines are acing the eye test. Their defense is unyielding.
3. Georgia: The Bulldogs looked like they were going through the motions in September. They’ve ironed out the kinks. Carson Beck is playing really well, and the defense is becoming nasty.
4. Ohio State: I continue to break my rule of rewarding teams that own impressive victories. I'd have no issue with the committee ranking OSU No. 1 as a reward for beating the Irish and Penn State, but the Buckeyes sure don’t win any beauty contests. They have the weakest quarterback of these five teams. They’re winning with defense, but is that defense as good as Michigan’s?
5. Washington: I would've ranked the Huskies higher directly after they beat Oregon, but they regressed in victories over lowly Arizona State and Stanford. They might have peaked in early October against the Ducks.
TOPPMEYER: Kirby Smart compares Georgia football to Halloween villain — then, he serves rat poison
ADAMS: Joe Milton starting to win over Vols fans
John Adams’ top five
1. Florida State: The Seminoles’ win against LSU stands out, and the wins keep coming.
2. Washington: I’m impressed with the Pac-12, which makes me impressed by UW’s win over Oregon. I consider that one of the best wins of the season, by any team.
3. Ohio State: I’m rewarding teams with something on their résumé, so I can't rank the Buckeyes any lower than third, even if they wouldn’t win a beauty contest.
4. Georgia: Tougher games await the Bulldogs in these next three weeks. Keep winning, and I’ll consider revising.
5. Michigan: Talk about a cupcake schedule. Trouncing East Carolina and Bowling Green doesn’t move the needle for me.
Later in the episode
Our preview of Alabama-LSU. Can Jayden Daniels win the Heisman if the Tigers lose? (Probably not.) Alternatively, he’ll likely become the Heisman favorite if LSU wins. A two-loss Alabama would not be a good candidate for the CFP, but a two-loss LSU could retain a sliver of hope for the playoff.
Week 10 picks!
Picks against the spread:
Kentucky (-3) at Mississippi State
Toppmeyer: Kentucky; Adams: Kentucky
Arkansas at Florida (-5.5)
Toppmeyer: Florida; Adams: Florida
Texas A&M at Ole Miss (-4.5)
Toppmeyer: Ole Miss; Adams: Ole Miss
Missouri at Georgia (-16.5)
Toppmeyer: Missouri; Adams: Missouri
LSU at Alabama (-4)
Toppmeyer: LSU; Adams: LSU
Lock of the week
Toppmeyer: Florida State (-21) at Pittsburgh; Adams: Notre Dame (-2.5) at Clemson
Records
Adams: 22-27-2 (3-3 last week); Toppmeyer: 22-28-1 (2-4 last week)
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. John Adams is the senior columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. You can subscribe to their podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: CFP rankings: Georgia football, Florida State or Washington? Our No. 1
