The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2016 season have now been revealed and, as expected, there were some obvious choices and some surprises.
Here’s a look at five immediate takeaways with the newest rankings fresh in everyone’s mind.
5. There’s nothing shocking about Alabama being ranked No. 1
Stop the presses! Or not.
In one of the most obvious and expected announcements of the day, the 8-0 Alabama Crimson Tide checked in at No. 1 in the very first College Football Playoff rankings. In other news, grass is green and water is wet.
Alabama has been the nation’s best team in 2016 and there’s really not a close second. In fact, many believe the Crimson Tide will run the table all the way to a National Championship, but at least for now, that story is yet to be written.
Ultimately, there was no other way for the first CFP rankings of the season to be capped off. Had Alabama been ranked anything other than No. 1, it likely would have been considered the most controversial decision since the College Football Playoff system was implemented in 2014.
Coming off of a bye, Alabama now readies themselves for an important SEC battle with LSU, but it’s the Iron Bowl against the Auburn Tigers that looms largest. Auburn is on fire in recent weeks and could be the only remaining program capable of derailing Nick Saban’s quest for perfection.
4. Penn State gets more love than anticipated
The first unexpected surprise of the College Football Playoff rankings came via the Penn State Nittany Lions, who checked in eight spots higher than their AP Top 25 ranking at No. 12.
Their stunning victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes clearly propelled their rise, but it could just be the beginning for Penn State.
However unlikely it may be, the Nittany Lions not only face the very real possibility of climbing into the top 10, but also the chance of forcing their way into the Big Ten title game if they can get a little help along the way.
Penn State’s 24-21 upset of Ohio State puts them in a unique position where a Buckeyes victory over the Wolverines, coupled with second losses by both Michigan and OSU, would win them the Big Ten East and pit them against the winner of the Big Ten West. It’s a lot to process, but the Nittany Lions couldn’t ask for a better scenario following a three-point loss to Pittsburgh in Week 2. And there’s no telling where they’d be right now had they been able to squeak that one out.
With games against Iowa, Indiana, Rutgers and Michigan State remaining, Penn State is in a tremendous and wildly unexpected position.
3. Auburn cracks top 10 after slow start
The Auburn Tigers have been on fire for more than a month, and key victories over LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Ole Miss have helped accelerate their rise not just in the AP Top 25, where they currently sit at No. 11, but also in the College Football Playoff rankings, where they cracked the top 10 on Tuesday.
Unranked entering the season and with low expectations (except for here on Larry Brown Sports), precious few could have foreseen the Tigers’ climb up the NCAA ladder.
Even beyond their No. 9 ranking in the first College Football Playoff poll, the Tigers now look ahead at the very real possibility of winning the SEC West.
With winable games against Vanderbilt, Georgia and Alabama A&M over the next three weeks, should Auburn avoid an upset, they’ll close out their regular season in a Tuscaloosa Iron Bowl that could, potentially, be one for the ages.
Should the Tigers do the unthinkable and dethrone the Crimson Tide, and should both Clemson and Texas A&M win out, it will be very interesting to see what the College Football Playoff committee decides to do with two-loss Auburn.
But that’s a whole lot of ifs, buts and maybes. We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it.
2. Louisville in a dangerous spot at No. 7
Leading up to Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff ranking reveal, there was a lot of speculation on where Louisville would land.
Would the committee forgive a close loss to Clemson and put them in the top four? Would the committee punish them for narrowly escaping Duke and Virginia and put them at No. 5?
Well, neither of those situations is how it ultimately went down. Instead, despite their sole loss coming to the second-ranked team in the country, the Cardinals dropped all the way down to the No. 7 spot, checking in behind fourth-ranked Texas A&M, fifth-ranked Washington and sixth-ranked Ohio State.
Even with a very favorable schedule the rest of the way, the No. 7 ranking puts Louisville in danger of missing out on the College Football Playoff entirely. Not only would they need to win out, they’d also need to have at least three teams ranked ahead of them lose a game — and in the case of either Clemson or Alabama, they would likely need them to lose at least two games down the stretch.
At the end of the day, Louisville’s victory over Florida State, their biggest of the season, has been drowned out by the Seminoles’ two other losses. And the fact that the Cardinals have played zero Power 5 non-conference games only dealt them further damage.
It would appear Louisville’s once promising national title hopes have now gone by the wayside.
1. Texas A&M leaps Washington for No. 4
From one through three, things pretty much shook out as anticipated. Alabama secured the No. 1 overall spot, while Clemson and Michigan checked in at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. But it was the No. 4 spot that received the first legitimate “wow” of the College Football Playoff rankings.
Rather than undefeated Washington, who is coming off of their best win of the season — a 31-24 victory over Utah — the committee went with one-loss Texas A&M to round out the top four.
The Aggies have had several impressive wins in 2016, and given the Crimson Tide’s utter dominance, that sole loss didn’t do quite as much damage as it had in the AP Top 25, where Texas A&M currently ranks No. 7.
The Huskies now find themselves on the outside looking in. But with a relatively favorably schedule the rest of the way, they could battle their way into the top four assuming one of the other team’s ahead of them is upset. And all but Clemson face that very real potential as the season winds down.
Of course, that would also mean the Tigers close out the season as the No. 1 team in the country, which could be relevant if Washington climbs no higher than No. 4.
