The College Football Playoff Selection Committee, which, it should be noted, includes Carla Williams, the athletics director at UVA, released its second rankings of the 2025 season Tuesday evening, and I don’t like what I see at all.
In fact, I believe the name College Football Playoff should be replaced with what the committee seems to think it should be: The SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame Invitational.
In case you haven’t seen the latest rankings, here’s the CliffsNotes: eight SEC programs landed in the Top 25, with five in the Top 10; the Big Ten has six in the Top 25, and three in the Top 10.
Also in the Top 10: Notre Dame, because, it’s Notre Dame.
Full disclosure, I absolutely have an ACC bias here, but this year, the conference will be fortunate to place two schools in the field.
Looking more closely at the five SEC teams in the Top 10 makes you wonder what is going on there.
I don’t have a problem with #3 Texas A&M (10-0), #4 Georgia (9-1), or #5 Ole Miss (10-1) sitting in the Top 5. But Oklahoma (8-2) and Alabama (8-2) in the Top 10, that’s purely window dressing.
There’s no point in arguing that the SEC isn’t deep and talented.
Texas A&M remains undefeated; Georgia and Ole Miss boast talented rosters and are strong contenders for the national championship.
But after that: meh.
Alabama and Oklahoma are good teams, but not Top 10-caliber.
They are simply in the Top 10 for one reason, and that’s because they are Alabama and Oklahoma.
Oklahoma, to its credit, went to Tuscaloosa Saturday and beat Alabama, whose other loss was to FSU – yes, that FSU, 5-5, 14th in the 17-team ACC, which beat ‘Bama by two TDs in Week 1.
Somehow, Virginia’s Week 5 win over FSU is devalued because the ‘Noles have stunk it up since, but the ‘Bama loss to FSU isn’t devalued, even though FSU has stunk it up since.
I don’t get it, either.
There’s no doubt that the SEC is receiving the “brand name” treatment from the CFP committee.
The College Football Playoffs, after all, are all about television ratings.
Unlike March Madness, which thrives on underdogs pulling upsets, the CFP wants nothing to do with a Final Four that includes any team outside the Power 2 conferences – the SEC and Big Ten, with its three teams in the Top 10 (#1 Ohio State, #2 Indiana, #7 Oregon), and the three others in the Top 25 (#15 Southern Cal, #18 Michigan, #21 Illinois).
While March Madness has been built on the David vs. Goliath scenario, the TV networks want nothing to do with a Final Four lacking marquee programs.
By stacking the deck with SEC and Big Ten teams, the CFP committee is all but eliminating this possibility.
The bottom line: is the CFP committee trying to get the best quality for the 12-team playoff field, or the best TV audiences?
The answer can be found in the latest rankings.
The SEC deserves strong representation, but definitely not four or even five teams in the field, as would currently be the case.
If this CFP is to survive, the committee needs to start by putting bias aside and ranking the teams based on performance, not reputation.
And while I’m ranting, the SEC isn’t alone in the home-cooking department.
Notre Dame at #9?
The Irish (8-2) lost to both Texas A&M and Miami, which is #13, and thus, right now, on the outside looking in.
ND does have an eight-game winning streak, but only one of those wins is over a current Top 25 team, Southern Cal.
The Irish are ranked purely on national image and TV ratings.
Which makes sense, because the College Football Playoff, er, The SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame Invitational, is a TV show.
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