After a wild Saturday that scrambled the top of college football, the College Football Playoff committee has a fresh mess on its hands. Last week’s rankings already drew plenty of heat, but after multiple top-10 games delivered real chaos, Tuesday night’s second reveal should look very different.
Start with Alabama and Tennessee, because that gap was one of the biggest talking points in the first rankings. The committee put a wide cushion between the teams even though Tennessee had already hammered the Crimson Tide in October.
Alabama got some support when it beat LSU at Death Valley, but Tennessee answered by blowing the doors off Kentucky. That leaves the committee with a clear question: does the gap finally shrink enough for the head-to-head result to matter?
The SEC had a chance to strengthen its grip even more. Last week, it already had five teams in the rankings, and if Ole Miss had beaten Georgia and LSU had taken down Alabama, the conference could have really stacked the deck against everyone else.
Instead, Georgia and Alabama won comfortably, which knocked Ole Miss and LSU out of playoff contention unless miracles happen. That turn of events may have opened the door a little wider for the Big 12.
And the Big 12 has a case to make. Texas Tech, which was 15th last week, picked up a thrilling win over a solid West Virginia team.
BYU, meanwhile, lost by just eight points to Utah despite turning the ball over four times. The Cougars’ win over Notre Dame also looks even better now after the Fighting Irish beat No.
1 Miami. With that kind of weekend, the Big 12 could land three teams in this week’s rankings.
Notre Dame is almost certain to climb after what it did against Miami. The committee basically handed the Irish a CFP ultimatum by placing them 11th last week, and they responded with a signature win.
But the game wasn’t clean from start to finish. Notre Dame jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead, then watched Miami outscore it 21-14 in the second half before the Hurricanes fell just short of a comeback.
Miami also has another wrinkle to deal with: star receiver and Heisman Trophy candidate Malachi Toney is out for the rest of the regular season because of injury, and that could affect how the committee views both teams.
There’s also the quarterback issue, which the committee may have to explain again. Ohio State appeared to take a hit for not having starting quarterback Julian Sayin against USC, a situation that brought back memories of the Florida State-Jordan Travis snub.
But the committee may have to live with the fact that this line of thinking cuts both ways. Wake Forest and Boise State both won convincingly with backup quarterbacks, and that should work in their favor when the rankings are updated.
Whether it actually does is another matter.
Then there’s UCLA, one of only three undefeated teams last week, which still got treated like an afterthought by the committee. The Bruins were slotted eighth, well behind Miami at No. 1 and Utah at No.
- Now that two teams ahead of UCLA lost, including Miami, the Bruins are set to move up.
The most interesting comparison may come within the Big Ten. UCLA beat Minnesota by 14 on the road.
Indiana beat the Golden Gophers by seven at home in overtime. If the committee leans on those results against a common opponent, and if Indiana’s bye week factors in, the Big Ten pecking order could shift in a meaningful way.
That’s one of the biggest things to watch when the new rankings come out.
In Other News...
UCLAs Hot Start Is Being Driven By A Practice Battle Fans Will Love
UCLAs fast start has been fueled by more than what shows up on Saturdays. In the Bruins 34-20 win over Minnesota, Ty Dieffenbach delivered a career-high 303 passing yards, and Aidan Mizell turned two throws into 75-yard touchdowns, while cornerback Scooter Jackson added an interception on the other side of the ball. It was the kind of game that made the pieces fit together cleanly, but it also reflected something Bob Chesney has been stressing behind the scenes.
Chesney has pointed to the competitive work in practice, where players like Mizell and Jackson have been pushing each other in ways that carry over into games. For UCLA, that internal battle has become part of the identity of the teams early success, with the speed on offense and the edge on defense both showing up when it matters most. The Bruins are building something that looks increasingly real, and the daily competition seems to be a big reason why. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Faces A Road Test That Could Define Its Playoff Push
Illinois has steadied itself after a rough 2-3 start, winning four straight to get back into the conversation heading into a matchup with undefeated, No. 4 UCLA. The Bruins have been one of the more complete teams in the country, showing they can win on both sides of the ball and even absorb a quarterback injury without losing their edge, which is part of what makes this road test so demanding.
For Illinois, this is the kind of game that can either confirm the turnaround or expose how far it still has to go. UCLA has been rolling under first-year coach Bob Chesney, and the challenge now is whether the Bruins can keep that momentum going against a team that has finally found some rhythm of its own. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA's Undefeated Run Is Starting To Look Dangerous
UCLA kept its perfect start intact with a win over Minnesota, moving to 9-0 and continuing to look like a team that can win in more than one way. The Bruins got explosive plays on offense and a steady effort on defense, with Wayne Knight grinding out 109 rushing yards while the secondary and front kept Minnesota from settling in.
Aidan Mizell was a big part of the big-play surge, stretching the field and changing the feel of the game whenever UCLA needed a jolt. Scooter Jackson also stood out in coverage as the Bruins leaned on their defense to protect the lead, a formula that has become increasingly important as the unbeaten run grows and the pressure around it starts to rise. [Read more 🡒]