Buckeye50 Playoff Picks – November 7
Week 2: Playoff Rankings
If nothing else, we are consistent here at Buckeye50. For the first two weeks of the 2023 Playoff Poll window, we have had the same top 6. But that should really come as no surprise as our top 6 all won this past weekend.
It was interesting to see in the first committee poll last Tuesday that they had all the unbeatens listed, then all the 1 loss teams and then all the two loss teams (from the Power 5 conferences). I know they will dance around the narrative a bit to fit their placement, yet I do think they set a clear message about how they are voting. Will need to watch to see if they stay the course again this week.
My prediction for the committee is we will not see any change in their top eight. The only possible change I would imagine is flipping Georgia and Ohio State, but to be honest, the Buckeyes really did nothing that should cause them to drop. Oklahoma will fall out of the top ten which may move Penn State in the 10th spot.
The one thing the committee said for sure, there will not be any way for a non-power 5 team to make the playoffs. With that said there are only 11 schools remaining with zero or one loss, so we can almost bet the four teams will come out of that group as we will likely not have a two loss team either.
Here is how our staff voted this week and our composite list of the top six teams.
How We Voted
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Buckeye50 Playoff Poll
1. Georgia is the reigning two time champions and although they started the year a bit flat, they are stepping up when it counts. There was reason for concern when Brock Bowers went down, but the offense has not missed beat. The Bulldogs can actually clinch the SEC East this weekend with a victory over Mississippi but that is no automatic. Georgia was #2 in the initial Playoff poll last week, will be interesting to see if they move up to #1 with their home win over Missouri last Saturday. The AP voters were not swayed and still voted Kirby and the boys top spot as they have all season.
2. Ohio State gets credit for the two best wins (Notre Dame and Penn State) but with the Irish losing to Clemson this past weekend, will that take some of the luster of beating the Golden Domers? And with Wisconsin losing to Indiana that eliminates any hope for the Badgers to be considered a quality win. But is not about how your opponents do, it is still about what you have accomplished on the field. The Buckeyes remain unbeaten and TryVeyon Henderson has been outstanding since he returned from injury two weeks ago. The Buckeyes have some holes to fill on defense due to injuries, but are still playing very well with the back-ups.
3. Florida State continues to be the most consistent team this year. They have looked good every game with only one close call against Boston College. They have defeated Duke, and Clemson (but who hasn’t) in the conference and a solid victory over LSU to start the season. They do not play Louisville in the regular season but are currently tracking to face them for the ACC championship game. Should be a good match and will decide the ACC representative in the playoffs. The Seminoles are 5th in the country in scoring offense. Not sure you can really call it a rivalry game anymore but they face a 6-3 Miami team this coming weekend.
4. Michigan may have the talent to win it all this year, but no matter how they finish, the season will always be remembered for the sign-stealing sandal. I really hate to talk about them right now, not because they are a rival to Ohio State, but due to the lying and cheating. There seems to be enough evidence to convict them but I will not believe any story that comes out around punishment until it actually occurs. On paper, they are good enough to be #1 but the playoff committee made a strong statement having them down at #3. The Wolverines have their second biggest game of the season this weekend as they go to Happy Valley to take on the Nittany Lions. Penn State still has plenty to play for including a playoff spot so they are not going to go quietly.
5. Washington is currently unbeaten and on top of the Pac-12. They would likely move into the top 4 after the OSU-Michigan game. The Huskies have looked good so far, but the real meat of their calendar is now. They will play Utah and Oregon State over the next two weeks. If they can come out of this season unbeaten, they will have earned a top three playoff ranking, at the very least. And the 52 points they put up on the Trojans last week finally put an end to the Alex Grinch tenure in LA.
6. Oregon is probably the best one loss team in the country and our poll continues to say that. Their one loss was to our #5 team Washington, who scored on a go ahead touchdown with a little over a minute left to go in the game, played in Seattle. They may get another chance in the Pac-12 championship game, and if it plays out right, that will likely be for a playoff spot. They also have a solid victory over Utah on their resume. They will play USC this week, a team that has no defense but does have the ability to put up points.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Cory Georgia Ohio State Florida State Michigan Washington Oregon
Gregg Georgia Ohio State Michigan Washington Florida State Oregon
Jason Ohio State Georgia Florida State Washington Oregon Michigan
John Georgia Ohio State Washington
Florida State Oregon Texas
Josh Michigan Florida State Ohio State Georgia Oregon Washington
Rick Georgia Ohio State Florida State Washington Michigan Oregon
Steven Georgia Ohio State Michigan Washington Oregon Florida State
Trout Georgia Ohio State Michigan Washington Florida State Oregon
Vaughn Georgia Ohio State Michigan Washington Florida State Oregon
Here is how we voted for this week, let us know how you predict this week’s rankings will go! Who is your top 4? Be sure to leave your comments below