Oklahoma beat Texas– duration. That’s a reality as incontrovertible as gravity. Let’s begin there. When the College Football Playoff choice committee exposed its preliminary Top 25 on Tuesday night, it didn’t take wish for a critical eye to start asking concerns– especially with its rankings from No. 7 to No. 9. The committee ranked Texas at No. 7, Alabama at No. 8 and Oklahoma at No. 9. All 3 groups are 7-1, however what ought to alarm fans is that the CFP committee does not appear to regard winning or the gamers who make winning possible. Oklahoma beat Texas 34-30 on a neutral field, simply weeks after Texas beat Alabama 34-24 in Tuscaloosa. In each video game, the Longhorns had their complete enhance of star gamers, consisting of quarterback Quinn Ewers. Ewers suffered a shoulder injury that required him to miss out on Texas’ video game versus BYU and will require him to miss its Big 12 face-off Saturday versus Kansas State– a group this committee ranked No. 23. The committee not just ranked Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas State, however likewise Kansas at No. 21 and Oklahoma State at No. 22. KU made this ranking after getting its very first win versus Oklahoma because 1997 and very first win versus a top-10 challenger because 2008. I discover it intriguing that the exact same committee ranked Oklahoma State the week that the Cowboys get to host Oklahoma for what appears like the last time in the foreseeable future. Oklahoma ranked behind Texas and Alabama in the CFP Rankings On its face, the committee does not believe the scoreboard matters. It does not believe winning matters. It does not believe the gamers who won those video games matter, and CFP committee chairman Boo Corrigan didn’t do much to discourage me of that belief when inquired about the committee’s thinking for ranking Texas and Alabama ahead of Oklahoma. “You return to we wish to get this right as we take a look at it,” Corrigan stated following the release of the committee’s leading 25. “A terrific win by Oklahoma, last-second drive to win this video game. When you consider a two-loss Kansas group this previous weekend, getting the win over Oklahoma, Kansas with the 2 losses to Texas and Oklahoma State, while they continue to enhance and play much better, body of work, if you will, taking a look at this, Texas over Alabama, winning there in Tuscaloosa, comparable to Texas-Oklahoma however then include the aspect that Oklahoma lost that video game to Kansas along with a close video game with UCF. Mainly the loss to Kansas.” A last-second win– focus on win. That’s why we play the sport– to win. What’s more troubling here is that the committee cares more about who you lost to instead of who you beat. It puts a focus on not losing, rather discovering the wherewithal to win. RJ Young sneak peeks No. 23 Kansas State vs. No. 7 Texas But more than that? The concept that Texas would in some way have the ability to beat either Alabama or Oklahoma without Ewers at quarterback is as much an insult to Alabama and OU as it is to the fans who view this sport. If you feel gaslighted by the committee, it’s since that’s precisely what it did on Tuesday night: Attempt to control you into questioning your own experience and understanding of occasions that have actually happened in the past. That does not imply you need to let them. Washington beat Oregon– duration. Which, too, ought to matter more than how excellent Oregon has actually looked ever since, or how bad Washington has actually looked ever since. And in this case, it did, with the Huskies at No. 5 and the Ducks at No. 6. Even so, Corrigan trotted out the exact same limp reasoning from the committee in discussing why possibly 8-0 Washington wasn’t greater. “With concerns to Washington,” Corrigan stated, “big win over Oregon, who we have at No. 6, however in taking a look at that, the video game most just recently, 2 newest video games in the house versus Arizona State and on the roadway at Stanford from a committee viewpoint offered us some time out and put them in at No. 5.” Ohio State is ranked ABOVE Georgia in the preliminary CFP rankings Gave them stop briefly? This isn’t a daytime drama. Did you win or not? That ought to be the very first product thought about and the last product thought about when choosing if one group is much better than another. Even if that was part of the requirements for identifying their rankings, UW is 8-0 and Oregon is 7-1. Winning mattered here– as it needs to constantly and permanently. It’s the factor I held my nose and ranked Florida State No. 4 much like the committee did instead of dock them since my eye test states they’re not even as great as Penn State, who the committee ranked No. 11 even after a carefully battled loss to the group it ranked No. 1– Ohio State. On that, Ohio State is the ideal No. 1. I composed as much on Monday. The Buckeyes have the very best résumè of any group in the sport. Unbeaten. 2 top-25 wins– one versus Notre Dame on the roadway. It’s nearly like winning mattered more than how carefully you won or who you lost to. What an excellent world it would be if the CFP committee picked to rank groups based on those criteria. More on the College Football Playoff Rankings Tuesday’s expose sets in movement a five-week chase to Dec. 3’s Selection Sunday. The leading 4 groups will contend in the CFP semifinals, which will be hung on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The championship game video game will be hung on Jan. 8 in Houston. The complete Top 25 are noted below. The College Football Playoff Rankings Ohio StateGeorgiaMichiganFlorida StateWashingtonOregonTexasAlabamaOklahomaOle MissPenn StateMissouriLouisvilleLSUNotre DameOregon StateTennesseeUtahUCLAUSCKansasOklahoma StateKansas StateTulaneAir ForceCollege Football Rankings staying 2023 schedule Tuesday, Nov. 7: 7 p.m. ETTuesday, Nov. 14: 9 p.m. ET (time approximate)Tuesday, Nov. 21: 7 p.m. ETTuesday, Nov. 28: 7 p.m. ETSunday, Dec. 3: Noon ET (Selection Sunday)RJ Young is a nationwide college football author and expert for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and sign up for “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube. COLLEGE FOOTBALL trending Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get info about video games, news and more
CFP Rankings 2023: What the committee solved, and where it was really incorrect
