Week 2: Playoff Rankings
One week into the new rankings system, and already we will have some shake ups. Georgia lost on the road to Ole Miss, which drops them down to 4th in the SEC standings, and the AP poll still has them in the top 11, and below both Alabama and Ole Miss who also have 2 losses in the conference. The Bulldogs do gave a chance to keep themselves in the playoff mix with a win against Tennessee, but if they lose their third game, I could see them dropping out of the playoff race altogether. Their game against the Volunteers, who currently is leading the standings along with Texas and Texas A&M, will be their last conference game, as they will host a cupcake the following week, and then face Georgia Tech at the end of the year. The game against the Yellow Jackets might not be an easy game, as they just knocked off previously undefeated Miami, who had been playing with fate the past few weeks, and edging out wins due to Cam Ward.
One of the biggest storylines I think that will be discussed this week with the committee will be about Georgia and Miami, who were the 3rd and 4th ranked teams respectively, but both lost on the road, and the teams below them all had wins to propel them up. Texas should slide up a spot after taking the SEC seed. Georgia was discussed as possibly being the 2 seed over Ohio State, but they did not move the ball well against Ole Miss at all, and Carson Beck had his third straight multiple turnover game. The only touchdown came after a short field opportunity, that was in the first quarter, and the Georgia offense just was not able to sustain any type of drive. Georgia Tech did a good job playing keep away with Miami, who might be overconfident in their offense with Cam Ward, who they feel can turn it on at any time, but one of his faults as well is that he holds on to the ball too long because he is always trying to make a highlight play, and the Yellow Jacket defense was ready, sacking him several times in the game. The AP poll and the college football poll had both teams in the top 12, but I think there is an argument to be made that Georgia could be on the outside looking in as the 12 seed with their second loss now, and Miami does not have a strong resume to help boost them up with 0 top 25 wins. My guess is that we will see Oregon a the top spot, and the Longhorns move to 3rd in the rankings, and the 2nd seed as the SEC representative. BYU won on a last second field goal to stay undefeated in a rivalry game, and they might become the 3rd seed in the ranking, and should move up from the 9th ranking spot overall. I think the second debate or interesting discussion will be with who will be the 4th seed team between the ACC and Boise State. At this stage, both SMU and Miami have 1 loss, but SMU was on the outside looking in last week, and are undefeated still in conference play. SMU’s only loss is to BYU earlier in the year, but how will the committee view SMU versus Boise State who has a small scare with Nevada, but Ashton Jeanty had a 200+ yard game with 3 touchdowns to keep him in the Heisman discussion. Could we see SMU slide to the 4th seed or be the lowest ranked “conference champion” and Boise State takes the 4 seed. Ohio State took care of their business against Purdue in a win that just felt in control and dominate, almost Tressel-esque, and will have another tuneup game before playing Indiana, who will have a bye week after defeating Michigan 20-15, and earned their first ever 10-0 in program history. The AP Poll had Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana all in the top 5, and we might see those teams in the mix in the top 8. We have 3 weeks left of the regular season, and conference championship game matchups shaping themselves out, a lot can still happen between now and the last week of November.
Here is how our staff voted this week and our composite list of the top 12 teams.
How We Voted
Buckeye50 Playoff Poll
| Gregg | John | Josh | Rick | Trout | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | ||
| 2 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Ohio State | ||
| 3 | Texas | Texas | Texas | ||
| 4 | Indiana | Indiana | Indiana | ||
| 5 | Penn State | Tennessee | Penn State | ||
| 6 | BYU | Penn State | Miami | ||
| 7 | Tennessee | BYU | Notre Dame | ||
| 8 | SMU | Notre Dame | BYU | ||
| 9 | Boise State | Boise State | Georgia | ||
| 10 | Miami | Alabama | Tennessee | ||
| 11 | Notre Dame | SMU | SMU | ||
| 12 | Alabama | Miami | Boise State |
Here is how we voted for this week, let us know how you predict this week’s rankings will go! Who is your top 12? Be sure to leave your comments below