Buckeye50 Playoff Picks – November 21, 2023
Week 3: Playoff Rankings
Three weeks in, two weeks to go. What will the committee have to say now? What will impact their thinking and will anything change their poll positions? Georgia had a solid win against yet another SEC which was viewed as being a solid opponent, so maybe they will be able to hold on to the #1 spot. Then again there is only one other team in the SEC East that has a winning conference record, so just how good they really are could be up for debate. Ohio State had another solid victory over a weaker foe, but they did do what they needed to do to secure the victory. Michigan continues to have controversy around their program but did hold on to beat Maryland. But was the win impressive enough to keep them in the top 4? Florida State had a last second win over a sub-.500 Florida squad but will losing their quarterback make the committee view them differently? Washington racked up another win over a ranked team, that should really move them into the top 4 but we shall find out tonight. Oregon still has the best loss of the year if they still consider things like that but they will still likely find themselves on the outside looking in again this week.
One thing is for sure, no other team did anything to even crack the top 6 so it might be another boring committee show this evening. For Buckeye50, our top two continues to remain unchanged but we flip-flop Michigan and Washington once again
This is the 10th year of the playoffs, and just before we make the move to a 12 team playoff (be sure to vote in our poll below) one thing to watch out for is this. If Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon and Florida State all win out, which is not a hard stretch, could we have the same four teams this year as we did in 2014, the first year of the playoff era. All I know is if it does happen, can we please put Ohio State and Oregon in the Rose Bowl for one last ‘traditional’ Rose Bowl?
Here is how our staff voted this week and our composite list of the top six teams.
How We Voted
Buckeye50 Playoff Poll
1. Georgia – The two-time defending champs started the season against powerhouse programs of UT Martin and Ball State. They have had a few scares along the way this season but have really never displayed any doubt they deserve to be the #1 team in the country and the top seed in the playoffs. They will dispatch Georgia Tech with no problem, setting up the all too familiar showdown with Alabama in the SEC Championship game. The Bulldog victory over Tennessee in Knoxville this past week gave them 28 wins in a row which is the longest streak in the country and ties the longest streak for any SEC team. The Bulldogs moved to the top spot in the playoff committee’s polls this past week and I see no reason for them to move them this week.
2. Ohio State – The Buckeyes have taken care of business all year and certainly since the start of this year’s playoff polls. Two wins of 38-3 and 37-3 over Michigan State and Minnesota should send the message the boys from Columbus continue to be one of the elite programs in the country. They still have two of the best wins (Notre Dame and Penn State) of the top teams, and have a championship calibur defense when they are all healthy. Kyle McCord had another solid outing against the Gophers and TreVeyon Henderson set the tone for the game opening with a 75 yard TD run on the first play. As it has many seasons before the measure of a good season and a great season will come down to how well they do against That Team Up North.
3. Michigan – I know we are all waiting for more final evidence on the cheating scandal, but on the bright side for the Wolverines, only one coach was fired this past week. They struggled against a 6-5 Maryland team and they may say more than anything to the committee. Hopefully they do not keep them at #3 just so there will be a #2 vs #3 match-up this weekend. Michigan still trying to play the villian card with the Harbaugh suspension but I think it spoke volumes when they chose to not have their day in court to appeal it. Not sure why they are fighting to get him on the sideline. Since he has been in Ann Arbor in 2015, against Ohio State his performance is Loss – Loss – Loss – Loss – Loss – Forfeit – Cheated – Cheated – Suspended.
4. Florida State – The play of FSU still continues to be a bit average. At some point that is going to make them start getting compared to the one loss teams out there. And although they won the game Saturday, they lost their starting quarterback for the season. As with Michigan, if the committee is going to make a move with this team, now would be the time. Regardless of what they do against Florida this week, they will play Louisville next week for the ACC championship.
5. Washington – Once again, this time in the pouring rain, the Huskies took care of business against a top rated team, defeating Oregon State. Their resume alone should help move them past at least Florida State but we shall see how the committee judges all the teams. But Washington is the only team in the group with four wins over ranked teams. At this time they are still on a collision course to play the Ducks in the Pac-12 championship but they have to get past the Cougars first.
6. Oregon remains the top one-loss team as their only loss is to a top 5 squad. But they will have to beat the Huskies to get into the top 4 on their own, otherwise then need a bit of help.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Cory Georgia Ohio State Xichigan Washington Florida State Oregon
Gregg Georgia Ohio State Xichigan Florida State Washington Oregon
Jason Georgia Ohio State Washington Florida State Xichigan Oregon
John Georgia Ohio State Washington Florida State Texas Alabama
Josh Georgia Ohio State Xichigan Florida State Oregon Washington
Rick Georgia Ohio State Florida State Xichigan Washington Oregon
Steven Georgia Ohio State Washington Xichigan Oregon Florida State
Vaughn Georgia Ohio State Xichigan Florida State Washington 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