Months of waiting and anticipation surrounding college football finally gave way to the first College Football Playoff rankings. Now, the controversy over who deserves to be there is already underway.
Ahead of the first playoff in the sport, just four teams will have a chance to play for the title. Those four teams at the top for now are Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn and Ole Miss, but it likely won't stay that way.
In fact, Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN already noted how the rankings might be shaken up by the end of the year:
ESPN CollegeFootball @ESPNCFB"Let's see how many of these four in early in December are actually still on the bracket." --@KirkHerbstreit #CFP25
Every ranking system sparks arguments over who should be in the top spots, but none is as crucial as the committee rankings. Following the announcement, here's a look at the rankings and analysis of the first poll.
| 2014 College Football Playoff Rankings | ||
| 1 | Mississippi State | 7-0 |
| 2 | Florida State | 7-0 |
| 3 | Auburn | 6-1 |
| 4 | Ole Miss | 7-1 |
| 5 | Oregon | 7-1 |
| 6 | Alabama | 7-1 |
| 7 | TCU | 6-1 |
| 8 | Michigan State | 7-1 |
| 9 | Kansas State | 6-1 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 6-1 |
| 11 | Georgia | 6-1 |
| 12 | Arizona | 6-1 |
| 13 | Baylor | 6-1 |
| 14 | Arizona State | 6-1 |
| 15 | Nebraska | 7-1 |
| 16 | Ohio State | 6-1 |
| 17 | Utah | 6-1 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | 5-2 |
| 19 | LSU | 7-2 |
| 20 | West Virginia | 6-2 |
| 21 | Clemson | 6-2 |
| 22 | UCLA | 6-2 |
| 23 | East Carolina | 6-1 |
| 24 | Duke | 6-1 |
| 25 | Louisville | 6-2 |
| CollegeFootballPlayoff.com | ||
Breakdown of Week 10 Poll
From the first release, it's clear that the SEC has a slight stranglehold over the top of the rankings. The only question going in was which teams would ultimately be in the top four.
Alabama was tabbed as the No. 3 team in the country by the Associated Press, but that didn't guarantee anything in the College Football Playoff poll. The loss to Ole Miss on the road ultimately hurt Alabama as the Tigers were propelled into the playoff picture.
However, Nick Saban wasn't exactly worried about where the Tide are ranked at this point, via Aaron Suttles of the Tuscaloosa News:
Aaron Suttles @AaronSuttlesSaban College Football Playoff Poll tonight: Why does it matter? None of it matters if we're not successful in our games. I don't care.
Truth be told, it genuinely doesn't mean much at this point. Sure, Mississippi State, Auburn and Ole Miss are in the discussion of the top teams for now, but the SEC West contenders have a daunting upcoming schedule.
One of the biggest things we learned from the first rankings was how important the head-to-head record is, but the actual strength of schedule is also significant. Greg McElroy of the SEC Network provided his take on the value of wins:
Greg McElroy @GregMcElroyIt seems to me that the Committee really values quality wins. FSU (ND), Auburn (K-St), Oregon (Mich St), Ole Miss (Bama) all have them.
Not only does that put importance on games in the rear-view mirror, but also on what's coming up. Teams that slip up against a lesser opponent or are playing cupcakes might slide in the polls. That also clearly explains why an undefeated team in Marshall was nowhere on the opening poll.
As far as remaining schedules are concerned, Mississippi State might have the toughest of any top team. If they win out, they might have a shot at remaining the No. 1 team, but even one loss might not mean the end of their chances at a title shot.
ESPN College Football gives a look at the upcoming schedule for the Bulldogs:
ESPN CollegeFootball @ESPNCFBThe road ahead for top-ranked Mississippi State
Several weeks stand between now and the end of the season, so nothing is secured by the SEC or any other conference. Outliers such as TCU and Oregon will make strong cases, but it's all in the hands of the committee.
