The initial College Football Playoff Rankings were released on Tuesday, and there is drama at the top. Despite holding the No. 1 spot both polls all season, Georgia chimed in at No. 2 behind Ohio State. Behind those two teams — which happened to meet in last year’s Peach Bowl national semifinal — sit Michigan, Florida State and Washington, respectively. Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma and Ole Miss round out the top 10.
The race for the Group of Five spot in the New Year’s Six bowls is always an intriguing battle as well. One-loss Tulane out of the AAC takes lead in that one, coming in at No. 24. That’s one spot ahead of undefeated Air Force out of the Mountain West.
These rankings are fluid, and there’s no doubt that there will be plenty of chaos between now and Selection Sunday on December 3. However, the committee did make a few mistakes in its initial release. Let’s break down the overrated and underrated teams in the first edition of the CFP Rankings
Overrated: No. 20 USC
The Trojans shouldn’t be ranked. It shouldn’t even be a consideration. They have lost two of their last three games, narrowly escaped California last week and needed three overtimes to beat Arizona on October 7. The defense has been atrocious all season — especially lately. USC has given up 34 or more points in each of its last five games.
This isn’t an aberration. It’s a trend. Coach Lincoln Riley has made a career out of producing flashy offenses, but his resume is also littered with subpar defenses dating back to his time at Oklahoma. Not even a superstar quarterback like reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams can make this team remotely competitive on the national scene.
Underrated: No. 3 Michigan
No, the Wolverines don’t have a flashy strength…
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