The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season came with a couple of hard jolts for two of the sport’s biggest names.
Notre Dame landed at No. 11, which puts the Fighting Irish as the last Power Four team in the projected 12-team field. Ohio State checked in at No. 12, which means the Buckeyes would be left out if the season ended today.
For Notre Dame, the message was loud and clear: beat No. 1 Miami on Saturday night or risk watching the playoff picture tighten around them.
The Irish are 7-1, and their only loss came in the controversial defeat to BYU last month, a team the committee ranked No. 9.
Notre Dame is also No. 1 in ESPN’s FPI rankings, but that didn’t stop the committee from dropping the Irish well below where they sit in the AP poll, where they’re No. 4.
When Notre Dame’s logo appeared at No. 11 on ESPN’s broadcast, the reaction was immediate.
Joey Galloway said, “Wow.”
Rece Davis added, “I did not expect to see this. I expected them much, much higher.”
Davis then pressed committee chairman Hunter Yurachek on the Irish’s placement and quickly zeroed in on the stakes for Saturday night.
“(Notre Dame) would certainly seem to be in a very precarious position, though,” Davis said to Yuracheck, “because there would be precious few opportunities for the Irish to move up if they can’t beat Miami.”
Ohio State’s situation was just as surprising in a different way. The Buckeyes’ loss to USC last Saturday pushed them down to No. 11 in the AP poll, though they remain No. 2 in ESPN’s FPI rankings.
The committee still slotted them at No. 12 in its first reveal, despite Ohio State’s road win over defending champion Indiana on Oct. 17.
Hunter Yurachek said the Buckeyes’ loss to the Trojans and the injury to starting quarterback Julian Sayin were factors in the committee’s decision.
There’s still plenty of football left, beginning with Saturday’s Super Six slate. But for Notre Dame and Ohio State, the margin is suddenly thin: one more loss, and both teams are out of the CFP picture.
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