College Football Playoff Rankings reaction: SEC sitting pretty; CFP committee's inconsistent logic

Returns are just starting to come in from the College Football Playoff selection committee, but we’re able to make the call: the Southeastern Conference is the big winner.

Eight (!) SEC teams were ranked higher in the CFP rankings than they were in this week’s AP poll. Two two-loss SEC teams were ranked ahead of undefeated UCLA, a clear statement about strength of schedule in a conference that loves to talk about theirs.

When the selection committee unveiled its first set of in-season CFP rankings on Tuesday night, it did so to great confusion and frustration. It’s not necessarily new that these rankings angered college football fans and pundits — but it was notable with the new and unusual ways in which the committee did it.

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Head-to-head results mattered quite a bit for some teams, but not at all for others. Alabama — the highest-ranked two-loss team, all the way up at No. 5 — got a great deal of credit for beating one-loss Kentucky. But two-loss Tennessee, which beat Alabama by three scores two weeks ago, found itself eight spots lower than the Tide for some reason.

The committee ranked Notre Dame No. 11 — seven spots lower than the Irish sit in the AP poll — with selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek claiming that the low ranking was due to Notre Dame’s weak schedule. The Irish do not have a win over any team currently ranked in the committee’s Top 25.

“They don't have that signature win right now,” Yurachek said.

But … does Indiana? The Hoosiers don’t have a top-25 win, either. They have one loss (just like Notre Dame does), but the team that beat them (Ohio State, at 12) is ranked below the team that beat the Irish (BYU, at 9).

And Indiana is ranked fourth overall! That’s despite recent shaky outings and eked-out wins over unranked opponents (otherwise known as not exactly passing the eye test).

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The committee’s logic was wildly inconsistent — except in one area. This particular selection committee was quite consistent in its elevation of SEC teams. The committee had Alabama four spots above its AP ranking. Kentucky (+2), Texas (+3), Ole Miss (+2), Tennessee (+3), LSU (+1), Missouri (+1) and South Carolina (+2) all checked in ahead of their AP rankings. That’s not to say that the AP Top 25 is the be-all, end-all. But it shows that the committee has a rosier picture of these SEC teams than the general public’s view.

SEC teams are getting a lot of credit for wins, and they are not getting dinged much for losses (no matter how lopsided). In short, they’re getting exactly what their coaches spent the offseason lobbying for — credit for playing a big, bad, grueling SEC schedule.

It helps, of course, when South Carolina and Florida are top-25 teams. The Gamecocks’ inclusion helps the resumes of Alabama and Kentucky. Florida’s helps Georgia and Missouri. That’s how the back half of the Top 25 works; it can be used to beef up whatever resumes the selection committee wants to beef up.

And that’s one of the lessons to take away from an otherwise nonsensical set of rankings. The SEC is sitting pretty, with a plethora of two and three-loss teams squarely in the CFP mix. Alabama, in particular, looks to be as close to a lock as any team can be in early November. The Tide are ranked fifth with a trip to LSU on tap. Even if they lose that one but win out (against Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and Auburn), it’s hard to imagine the committee dropping them so far that they’d fall out of the 12-team CFP. And Kalen DeBoer didn’t even need to give stump speech to get to this point!

Neither did SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. But his years-long lobbying efforts have clearly had an impact. Sankey and his conference have pushed for new metrics and urged CFP staff to value not just the SEC’s schedule and perceived depth, but also the sequencing of the games. And it appears the committee it taking notice, making sure to view the SEC’s best in the absolute best light — and discount those pesky losses as best it can.