Tonight at approximately 7 pm eastern time, the 2nd College Football Playoff rankings will be released and we’ll see what the newest playoff projection is going to look like. Last week saw Tennessee nab the top spot, followed by Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson. This past weekend, two of those teams took their first losses of the 2022 season. Tennessee lost to Georgia in a somewhat closely contested SEC East clash on the road against a raucous Athens crowd, while Clemson was shockingly blown out by early-season struggling Notre Dame. With those two big defeats in mind and the fact that only UGA and Ohio State escaped last week with their records still intact, could we see a change in the 2nd playoff rankings? And if so, what will they look like?
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The New Number 1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings: Georgia
Georgia and Tennessee swapped spots in the most recent AP Top 25 poll, going between 1 and 3, so it shouldn’t be any kind of surprise for the Dawgs to do the same in the new rankings. Of course, Tennessee could even be knocked out of the top 4 entirely, but that may come down to the committee’s final opinion. After all, the other no longer unbeaten Clemson Tigers are also in the current rankings and they could also be eliminated from the top 4. For the Dawgs, however, last Saturday’s defeat of top-ranked Tennessee proved they deserve the number 1 spot for the time being and no other contender could even remotely challenge them.
What About TCU? Where Are They in the Rankings?
Possibly the most interesting choice for a CFP rankings spot, still unbeaten TCU sits at 9-0, fresh off a close 10-point victory against Texas Tech, staving off a potential Red Raiders comeback. This could also compare them to Georgia, who did have a close victory in their previous outing, winning by 2 scores. Add to that the fact that the Frogs’ only challenger is fellow 9-0 squad Michigan, currently 5th while TCU sits 7th behind 2 imperfect teams, Clemson and most importantly,
Alabama, who after their upset by LSU, had their playoff chances severely damaged. They also took a 5-spot tumble in the AP poll afterward. Could the Frogs one-up both Clemson and Bama, the two most frequent CFP programs and snag a top 4 position while knocking at least one or even both out? Time will tell. But there may be one big key detail- TCU’s currently 4th in the nation, below all the above-mentioned squads. If that isn’t asking for a ranking, I don’t know what is.
How About Those Irish?
After Notre Dame’s upset victory over then #4 Clemson, who subsequently plummeted to 12th, dropping 7 spots in the AP polls, you would think the Irish have a shot at making the rankings. However, they’re 6-3, and the committee is unlikely to select a team with that many losses. Even 2 losses may tank a team’s playoff chances, and Bama is in that spot right now. Notre Dame is also 20th in the poll and started 0-2 whereas most of the contending teams stayed and still are staying unbeaten.
Another factor is that Notre Dame hasn’t had a great track record in the actual playoff itself in years past. Just getting there is a challenge in itself, too, since they play as an independent program when most CFP schools play off a conference title game win. It’s safe to say that even if the Irish win their final couple of games, it will still not be enough for the committee to consider them, not now or later. There’s just too many negative factors in play.
So what do you think the 2nd CFP rankings will look like? There are tons of factors to consider, and I have a feeling the committee will be busy all night long.