Why initial CFP rankings give nod of respect to SEC depth, scheduling

ATHENS — The first set of College Football Playoff rankings is out, and, predictably, it sparked controversy.

This latest committee emphasized schedule strength, which didn’t sit well with proponents of conferences outside the SEC.

The logic of the SEC-heavy first rankings — five SEC teams in the Top 10 and 10 in the Top 25 — can be supported by the league’s cumulative record against other Power-4 conference schools in non-conference head-to-head meetings:

• SEC: 10-2

• Big 12: 6-7

• ACC: 6-11

• Big Ten: 4-10

The Group of Six schools are a combined 3-74 against Power 4 competition.

“It seems obvious to me the committee definitely believes in the depth of the SEC, and the power of the SEC,” Peach Bowl CEO David Epps told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“The first CFP rankings is a little bit like setting up the chess board, in terms of them trying to get a good feel for where teams belong.”

Traditional powerhouses like No. 11 Notre Dame (7-1) and No. 12 Ohio State (6-2) aren’t accustomed to falling to double-digit rankings and not getting the benefit of the doubt.

“But,” Epps noted, “they sit in a position where they can play themselves into the 12-team (field), or they can play themselves out of it.”

At that, with much less resistance when one looks at the remainder of the Top 25 teams’ schedules.

Per On3 reporter Brett McMurphy, there are 15 remaining regular-season games between current AP Top 25 teams:

• 10 SEC vs. SEC

• 2 Big 12 vs. Big 12

• 2 Big Ten vs. Big Ten

• 1 ACC vs. Notre Dame

The net effect is that several teams will move past the SEC as SEC teams cannibalize one another in the coming weeks.

Here’s a look at the seven games this week featuring Top 25 teams playing one another, which will lead to what Epps said will be “radical changes” in next week’s poll:

No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame

No. 2 Georgia at No. 10 Ole Miss

No. 7 BYU at No. 3 Utah

No. 5 Alabama at No. 14 LSU

No. 6 Kentucky at No. 13 Tennessee

No. 10 Texas at No. 19 Missouri

No. 23 Oregon at No. 12 Ohio State

Here’s how the College Football Playoff bracket would look if the season were to end today:

First Round

(Dec. 18-19, at campus locations)

No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Alabama

No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 6 Kentucky

No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Texas

No. 9 BYU at No. 8 UCLA

Quarterfinals

(Dec. 30 Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 1 Cotton Bowl, Rose Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl)

No. 1 Miami vs. winner of BYU at UCLA

No. 2 Georgia vs. winner of Ole Miss at Texas

No. 3 Utah vs. winner of Notre Dame at Kentucky

No. 4 Indiana vs. winner of Boise State at Alabama

Semifinals

(Jan. 14 Orange Bowl, Jan. 15 Sugar Bowl)

CFP Championship Game

(Jan. 25, Las Vegas)

Here is the first set of CFP rankings:

1. Miami

2. Georgia

3. Utah

4. Indiana

5. Alabama

6. Kentucky

7. Texas

8. UCLA

9. BYU

10. Ole Miss

11. Notre Dame

12. Ohio State

13. Tennessee

14. LSU

15. Texas Tech