Halloween Trick or Treat: First CFP Announcements Due
While the AP's top 25 makes nice weekly news, the college football playoff rankings will be revealed for the first time this season on Tuesday.
Happy Halloween. Seems only appropriate that Boo Corrigan will be the selection committee chair.
The Georgia Bulldogs remained on top of both the coach's and AP polls since the start of the season, but the playoff committee has a tendency to switch things up when its rankings start to take precedence.
The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential. This season's Playoff Semifinals will take place Monday, January 1, 2024, at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and Allstate Sugar Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be on Monday, January 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
So just two days out from the rankings being revealed, here is what we predict them to look like:
1. Georgia - Prior to Week 9, it likely would not have been Georgia at the top of the list. Their biggest win of the season was against Kentucky, and nobody knew what the Bulldogs would look like without Brock Bowers. Now, after their 43-20 win over the Florida Gators, the Bulldogs looked exactly like the best team in the country should look like, and the committee will recognize them as such.
2. Ohio State - Ohio State arguably has the best resume in all of college football. They have a ranked win against Notre Dame, and they recently beat Penn State in a close one. While they may not be winning with the offensive firepower that they have had in years past, the Buckeyes have continued to win every single week against a pretty tough slate.
3. Florida State - The Seminoles have had their ups and downs this season and have come close to losing their undefeated record, but, nonetheless, they have maintained perfection. They have the win against LSU at the very beginning of the season, and now it looks like Florida State is starting to hit its stride as the season starts to wind down.
4. Michigan - While most of the talk around Michigan football as of late has not been their undefeated record in the 2023 season, they still look the part of a top football team. The defense is one of the best in the country, and the offense led by JJ McCarthy has not disappointed.
5. Washington
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Alabama
9. Penn State
10. Oklahoma
11. Oregon State
12. Ole Miss
Here is all of the information from a statement to the media from the CFP:
The first College Football Playoff Selection Committee rankings of the 2023 season will be announced live on ESPN Tuesday, October 31 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT. Following the announcement, a media teleconference will take place at 7:45 p.m. ET / 6:45 p.m. CT featuring Boo Corrigan, selection committee chair, and Bill Hancock, executive director of the CFP.