Buckeyes Remain No. 1, CFP Committee Explains Why

Ohio State remained No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night after opening No. 1 last week in the initial poll release. The Buckeyes secured a 35-16 win at Rutgers this past weekend, while No. 2 Georgia defeated No. 12 Missouri 31-20 in Athens, Georgia.

The top eight went unchanged from last week, with the lone changes in the Top 10 seeing Ole Miss and Penn State each jump up one spot respectively, thanks to No. 9 Oklahoma’s loss to No. 22 Oklahoma State last week.

The entire Top 25 is below, followed by a rundown of everything that CFP Committee Chair Boo Corrigan had to say during his teleconference after the rankings release.

GAMES PLAYED THROUGH SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4
RANK TEAM OVERALL RECORD
1 Ohio State 9-0
2 Georgia 9-0
3 Michigan 9-0
4 Florida State 9-0
5 Washington 9-0
6 Oregon 8-1
7 Texas 8-1
8 Alabama 8-1
9 Mississippi 8-1
10 Penn State 8-1
11 Louisville 8-1
12 Oregon State 7-2
13 Tennessee 7-2
14 Missouri 7-2
15 Oklahoma State 7-2
16 Kansas 7-2
17 Oklahoma 7-2
18 Utah 7-2
19 LSU 6-3
20 Notre Dame 7-3
21 Arizona 6-3
22 Iowa 7-2
23 Tulane 8-1
24 North Carolina 7-2
25 Kansas State 6-3

Boo Corrigan Updates

On the debate at No. 1 with Georgia winning over Missouri: They talked about it early, in the middle, and late, to make sure they had it right. Rutgers has a top 20 defense. TreVeyon Henderson being back for his second game has been a positive impact for Ohio State.
Georgia writer asks about the transitive property, specifically about Texas vs. Alabama. “We’re gonna look at everything. Every game matters.” “Winning matters.” The beauty of this committee is that it’s not driven specifically by one thing. It’s driven by multiple people using multiple factors, voicing their opinions during these discussions.
On the G5 side, did the committee’s opinion of Tulane change much, and was there a discussion of Liberty. They talked a lot about both of those programs. They know what it means to be ranked for the G5 schools. Tulane’s win over a 1-7 East Carolina team was mentioned as a reason why they didn’t jump.
Why is Oregon ranked ahead of Alabama and Texas? It’s a compilation of everything. It’s not one single metric.
Ohio State’s win over Rutgers is a playoff enhancer. “Winning is really important, so let’s not lose sight of that.” Wins on the road are hard to come by, especially against good defenses. Ohio State beat a very physical team. TreVeyon Henderson’s return has boosted OSU in the eyes of the committee. Having a top 5 defense helps as well.
What was the committee’s evaluation of FSU’s strength of schedule? This is a very good team. The wins over LSU and at Clemson and against Duke, also winning last week without their top two receivers was a positive step. They are balanced offensively and defensively, and they are very well coached.
With the Big Ten’s latest interest in the Michigan cheating scandal, did that topic come up? Bill Hancock said that it did not come up. The task of the committee is to rank the teams, “and that’s what we do every week.”
Has the committee discussed James Madison at all? “Yeah, of course.” The committee will rank any team that is eligible for postseason. If James Madison can get eligible for the postseason, they’ll be considered for ranking.
Can you justify why you kept Alabama at the No. 8 spot after their win over LSU? They continue to evaluate the play on the field. Texas has the win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, which is a significant game this season.
What’s the committee’s thoughts on the quality of the Pac 12 this year? “Really good conference, and you can tell by our rankings the respect that we have.” Jedd Fisch has done a great job at Arizona, which is why they are No. 21 right now.
Ann Arbor News asks if they’ve discussed whether or not to make Michigan a CFP issue. Bill Hancock says, “We are not a governance body. We are aware of the Michigan situation, but it’s just not a CFP matter.” “All we do is rank the teams that are eligible for our games.”
Reddit CFB calls in to ask how Iowa got ranked. “What justified in the committee’s eyes such a high jump from unranked to 22nd in the rankings?” A 7-2 record. A defense that’s giving up 13 points per game. They have wins over Iowa State, Wisconsin. “The offense has struggled. We’re all aware of that, but there are three phases of the game, and in two of them they’re really solid.”
Has the top group of four grown to a top group of five with Washington having a win at USC. “Not to be funny, but you can’t get much closer than 4 and 5.” Washington has an incredibly explosive offense, but they are still below Florida State.