Decision day: Oregon tops season’s first College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings

After several weeks of battles on the gridiron, Tuesday’s polling results are in.

Much to the delight of Oregonians, sans Beavers supporters, the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee chose the Ducks as the nation’s top team in the first edition of this season’s rankings.

There was some surprise as Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State edged out SEC stalwart Georgia for the No. 2 slot in the committee’s initial rankings.

CFP Selection Committee Chair Warde Manuel explained to ESPN that the panel felt Ohio State’s one loss, a 1-point defeat on the road against top-ranked Oregon, was more impressive than No. 3 Georgia’s lone blemish, a 7-point road loss to Alabama, who clocked in at No. 11 in the CFP rankings.

Tuesday’s unveiling of the first look at the CFP rankings happens to come on Election Day, and perhaps there is some symmetry there: With the additional number of weeks built into the expanded 12-team playoff, the CFP National Championship Game will be played on January 20 – Inauguration Day.

The CFP selection committee, comprised of athletic directors, former coaches, former players, and a journalist, picks and ranks the 25 best teams in the game for six weeks.

Come December, the same 13 delegates will determine which schools will play in the new 12-team bracket.

There are six new members on the committee this year.

Although the number of teams in the playoff may have tripled, Manuel told ESPN the process for ranking the top 25 remains the same as in previous years.

CFP’s Top 25 rankings were the committee’s first of the season, while the Associated Press (AP) poll and coaches’ poll have been running since the preseason.

Undefeated teams

All three polls rank undefeated Oregon No. 1.

Oregon dispatched Michigan, last season’s national champion, this past weekend and is heavily favored to defeat Maryland…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/decision-day-oregon-tops-season-021157048.html

Author : CNN

Publish date : 2024-11-06 02:11:57

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