The Power Rankings will never step aside as the one true objective measure of college football excellence. But there is another top 25 poll to consider this week. The overwrought, overhyped and overblown College Football Playoff Rankings make their 2021 debut Tuesday night. You might have heard.
From now on, everything must be viewed through a prism of squawking, yelling and screaming with information that programs talk shows coast-to-coast. Let's get right to the main CFP questions viewed through a Power Rankings prism.
Will Cincinnati be in the top four?
The Bearcats should be. We've kept them at No. 2 this week. There are only six undefeated teams left with four weeks left in the season. Cincinnati plays in the highest-rated Group of Five conference and has beaten two Power Fives on the road, Indiana and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were in the top 10 at the time.
Will Wake Forest (8-0) be the lowest-ranked undefeated Power Five team?
Probably. The Demon Deacons haven't played a ranked team, and it may remain that way through the regular season. What's the more pertinent issue is what happens if Wake wins out. No undefeated Power Five champion has ever been left out of the CFP. Hey, don't blame the messenger. We moved Wake to No. 9 this week.
Who is the best team not in the top four?
Ohio State, probably. We cannot in good conscious place the Buckeyes in the top four. Aside from Oregon and Penn State, their schedule is questionable. (That will change this month with games against Michigan State and Michigan.) They have a lot of good players and a superstar coach, but as long as Oregon owns the head-to-head and isn't in the top four, Ohio State shouldn't be, either.
Who do you like in the playoff?
The way we have it, No. 1 Georgia would be playing No. 4 Oklahoma in one semifinal in a rematch of the 2018 Rose Bowl semifinal. In the other No. 2 Cincinnati would be playing No. 3 Alabama. If form holds, Georgia and Alabama would first be meeting in a rematch from the SEC Championship Game.
Is all of it too soon?
Oh, absolutely. We're going to be beaten over the head for the next few Tuesday nights with CFP Selection Committee chair Gary Barta trying to evade questions. It's gripping TV ... not.
Biggest Movers
13
Auburn
8
Iowa
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Florida steamrolled Georgia last year. Georgia clinched the SEC East and returned the steamrolling this time. The victory marked the eighth straight game the Dawgs have allowed less than 14 points. That last happened in 1971. In the space of 12 plays, Georgia scored three touchdowns on turnovers. That good enough revenge for you? | -- | 13-1 |
| 2 |  | Not a good day heading into the first CFP Rankings. SMU, the only ranked team left on the schedule, lost to Houston. Then Tulane was competitive against Cincinnati deep into the second half. Desmond Ridder has sacked for a safety and threw an interception. The Bearcats must sweat that and whether their coach Luke Fickell will have taken another job by the end of the season. | -- | 3-9 |
| 3 |  | Bye. November reign begins for Bama. The Crimson Tide are 26-4 in the month since 2013. Three of those losses are to Auburn. (Thanks Gus!) One is to LSU. Get ready for the final regular-season laps at home this month against LSU, New Mexico State and Arkansas. And then there's the Iron Bowl. Bryan Harsin gets his SEC big-game baptism ... or does he? | -- | 12-2 |
| 4 |  | Off to their first 9-0 start since 2004, the Sooners look down on Oklahoma State and Baylor as their chief Big 12 challengers after beating Texas Tech. Since becoming OU's offensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley has overseen an offense that has scored at least 49 points each time out in his seven meetings against his alma mater. In those games, the Sooners are averaging 56.9 points. Caleb Williams continued his unlikely Heisman Trophy run with six touchdown passes. The kid is averaging two per game in his seven games this season. | -- | 10-3 |
| 5 |  | Kenneth Walker III is the best player in college football after running for five touchdowns against Michigan. Another conclusion: Michigan State might be the best Big Ten team. We'll find out as the Spartans try to get through November with the Big Ten's worst pass defense. Mel Tucker is the turnaround king of college, not only dabbling in the transfer portal but within the game. The Spartans were trailing by 16 midway through the third quarter before rallying. | 3 | 4-8 |
| 6 |  | Plenty to unpack here heading into Tuesday. The Ducks only loss to Stanford looks worse now that the Cardinal lost to Washington. It certainly doesn't help the cause UCLA was also routed by Utah. But still, there's that win over Ohio State which looks better by the day. The Ducks extended their home winning streak to 17 straight games with an easy win over Colorado. | 1 | 12-2 |
| 7 |  | While we celebrate Michigan State and debate the CFP Rankings, remember Ryan Day is 20-0 in the Big Ten. That's worth considering after a closer-than-expected win over Penn State. TreyVeon Henderson started slow then busted out for a 68-yard run. Jerron Cage, all 305 pounds of him, scored a big-man touchdown. Penn State covering +18 was an easy bet. Sean Clifford was healthy and willing, but the loss means Penn State is all but out of the Big Ten race. | 1 | 11-2 |
| 8 |  | No sneaking up by Kansas this time. The Cowboys rebounded from the Iowa State loss by thumping the Jayhawks. "I just thought it was a great chemistry moment for our team," said QB Spencer Sanders. If by "chemistry moment" Sanders meant studying for a biology class, then yes. But we didn't learn a darn thing from this game. The 52-point margin tied for Kansas' worst loss this season. | 3 | 10-4 |
| 9 |  | The Demon Deacons are 8-0 for the first time after beating Duke in one of the more complete efforts of the season. Sam Hartman accounted for five touchdowns. Now the heavy lifting begins: North Carolina, NC State, Clemson and Boston College. It will be interesting to see where the Demon Deacons land in the CFP rankings. Dave Clawson has done it all after losing Walker to MSU. | 3 | 4-8 |
| 10 |  | Cincinnati's best friend dominated a North Carolina leaking oil. It was entertaining as Kyren Williams ran 199 yards, 91 on a spectacular cutback TD run. The teams combined to score on eight straight possessions. So, yeah, fun. Notre Dame extended an ongoing streak beating its 38th consecutive unranked opponent to lead the nation. Cincy pretty much needs Notre Dame to win out to help its resume. | 3 | 10-3 |
| 11 |  | Did Texas blow another one, or is Baylor way better than we thought? We saw a little bit of both in the Bears' win. In Year 2, Dave Aranda has become a Great Plains Mel Tucker (read: turnaround king) of the Big 12. Baylor became the third straight team to overcome a double-digit deficit in beating Texas. | 9 | 3-9 |
| 12 |  | Too many mistakes. Too much Walker. A team that had committed only four turnovers all season (best among Power Five), committed its fifth at the worst time. Freshman QB J.J. McCarthy put it on the ground in the fourth quarter allowing Michigan State its game-winning drive. Where do the Wolverines go from here? This was the Spartans' first win over a team with a winning record, and it hurt Michigan bad. "It sucks from the top down," offensive lineman Andrew Vastardis said. | 3 | 15-0 |
| 13 |  | Maybe Harsin is already full baptized in the church of the SEC. The Tigers came from out of the Power Rankings to the edge of the top 10. Guess who suddenly controls their fate in the SEC West? The Tigers got "good" Bo Nix playing at home against a top 10 team. In beating both Arkansas and Ole Miss from the West, the Tigers can see the Iron Bowl from here. Before that, another West showdown this week at Texas A&M. The Tigers have never lost in College Station (4-0). | NR | 6-7 |
| 14 |  | No popcorn. No water bottles thrown from the stands. Just a contrite Lane Kiffin watching his team drop out of the top 10. Auburn flexed on the Rebels, piling up almost 500 yards. Matt Corral threw only his second interception of the season and saw his streak end after 19 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass. | 4 | 11-2 |
| 15 |  | Does defensive coordinator Phil Parker have any tips for offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz? As good as the Hawkeyes defense has been, the offense has not been complementary. Ferentz's group stunk it up again in a 27-7 loss at Wisconsin. In the last eight quarters, the Hawkeyes have scored 14 points, averaging 213.5 yards per game and 3.6 yards per play. Wisconsin continues to control its own destiny in the Big Ten West. | 8 | 10-4 |
| 16 |  | The Wildcats' New Year's Six chances took a blow following a two-touchdown loss to Mississippi State. Kentucky turned it over four times, and the Bulldogs' Will Rogers was nearly flawless, setting an SEC accuracy record (36 of 39). Coming off Georgia, this was not encouraging. The Wildcats scored one offensive touchdown. Mark Stoops remains a darkhorse candidate at LSU. | 2 | 7-6 |
| 17 |  | The loss at Miami was a tale of two quarterbacks. Almost no one expected freshman Tyler Van Dyke to be the most celebrated on Saturday. The Miami QB threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns in an upset of the Panthers. Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett was actually better, throwing for a school-record 519 yards. | 2 | 3-9 |
| 18 |  | Bye. A good time to rest with a brutal November schedule. That means there will be reshuffling in the SEC West for sure. The Aggies play Auburn and Ole Miss in the next two weeks. LSU wraps up the regular season in four weeks. If Jimbo Fisher wins out, he will have posted his first 10-win season since 2016 (at Florida State). | 1 | 7-6 |
| 19 |  | We have a new favorite in the Mountain West. The Bulldogs (7-2) set themselves up as the MWC team to beat after dominating San Diego State. Fresno got off to a 20-0 lead and never looked back. The Bulldogs have now beaten two ranked teams this season (UCLA). That's one less than Georgia. "The physicality we brought off the bat set the tone," coach Kalen DeBoer said. Jake Haener had his sixth 400-yard passing game this season. | NR | 9-4 |
| 20 |  | This looked like BYU we grew up with. The Cougars posted 734 yards and 66 points against Virginia. Tyler Allgeier had a career-best 266 yards rushing. "It felt like an old-school type of game," coach Kalani Sitake said. Virginia's Brennan Armstrong continues to be the best QB you don't know. Armstrong threw four more TDs, giving him 27 for the season. | 2 | 5-7 |
| 21 |  | Marcus Jones won the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown in the final seconds. How does SMU allow that to happen? The Mustangs ad just tied the game with a field goal in the final minute. Jones now has four return touchdowns (two each via punt and kickoff) to lead the nation. Dana Holgorsen may have started the season on the hot seat. Right now, he's just hot. | NR | 4-8 |
| 22 |  | Let Jones tell it about returning that kick, "I didn't think he was going to kick it to me at first." With 30 seconds left after tying the game, coach Sonny Dykes said he didn't want to give SMU good field position by squibbing it. The Houston loss ruined an undefeated season. For the moment at least, SMU lost control of the American. In any tie with Houston, the Cougars would prevail because of the head-to-head. | 6 | 11-3 |
| 23 |  | The Roadrunners should enjoy the final days of coach Jeff Traylor. The only thing more unwise at Texas Tech than firing Matt Wells after a 5-3 record would be not hiring Traylor who has Texas roots and a blossoming career in front of him. UTEP's loss to FAU took the shine off a big Conference USA matchup with UTSA. | 2 | 9-4 |
| 24 |  | The kings of playing on school nights just got done playing three consecutive weeknight games. The Chats came through it 2-1 after a close Thursday win against Troy. They will need help in the Sun Belt East as Appalachian State holds the tiebreaker. That Wednesday night loss on Oct. 20 is the difference in the season. | 1 | 8-5 |
| 25 |  | The ACC is still wide open, and the Wolfpack are capable of winning it. Devin Leary led an explosive fourth quarter throwing three of his four TD passes to beat Louisville. NC State remains 1.5 games behind Wake in the Atlantic with roadies at Florida State and Wake Forest coming up. | NR | 9-4 |
Out: San Diego State, Penn State, Iowa State, Oregon State
