Last week, the initial College Football Playoff committee rankings were released to a puzzled public, with the UCLA Bruins’ initial ranking of #8 being one of the standout issues.
Clearly, the noise got to the committee, as in the latest rankings released today, the Bruins moved up to the #4 line, lining up with their AP ranking.
UCLA moving up to #4 in the second set of rankings is tremendous news, not least because it seemingly lines UCLA up for a playoff bid should they drop a few games down the stretch. There was a lot of talk about UCLA’s strength of schedule (or rather, the lack thereof), but committee chair Hunter Yurachek mentioned in his comments that UCLA’s victory over Minnesota was seen by the committee as a strong win, and you can see why; the Gophers hadn’t lost at home in Big Ten play in a few years, and they have strong wins over Iowa and Michigan to go with an OT loss at Indiana the week prior. UCLA’s win also helped alleviate fears the committee had about backup QB play; there have been plenty of contenders that have struggled once they had to go to the backup QB, but Ty Dieffenbach has done a quality job, culminating in his 300+ yard performance against Minnesota. I have to imagine those two deep bombs to Aiden Mizell caught the committee’s eye and shut down a few talking points.
There are some interesting changes in the latest set of rankings. The Georgia Bulldogs assumed the #1 ranking following a dominant performance against Ole Miss and a loss by the previous #1 Miami. Miami itself dropped down to #7, sitting two spots behind the Notre Dame team that beat them. Utah took the #2 spot after a strong Holy War victory over new #10 BYU, who seemingly have a ton of respect from the committee at this point. Alabama, one of the big sore points from the initial rankings, was able to justify their high ranking with a road victory over LSU, moving them up to #3.
The team with the most to complain about is the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana did not play a game last week, but the committee clearly felt Indiana took a hit during their bye week, as the Hoosiers dropped from #4 to #9. I’m guessing that watching UCLA handle Minnesota on the road and win by multiple scores played a major role in the swap between the two teams. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti also had some unkind words for the committee during his bye week presser, and while I wouldn’t say that affected things, it certainly does make for an interesting narrative. All that said, if Indiana can hold serve and beat Southern Cal at home this week, then this is probably all moot.
There are some interesting stories further down the list. One of the biggest risers was Oregon, who used their road win over Ohio State to catapult up to #16 and suddenly get in range of the low end of the playoff field. The Ducks have a manageable schedule to close out, and if UCLA and Oklahoma State continue winning, their losses look more understandable (Southern Cal continuing to win and Ohio State figuring things out would also help their case). Perhaps the most important part: Oregon is the highest 3-loss team in the rankings, which may put them at the front of the pecking order over the 3-loss brigade that could emerge from the SEC. Wake Forest is similarly in striking distance at #13, and I’m surprised that Houston is ranked at #14 despite not having a single good win.
Looking over the bigger picture, UCLA may now be in position to be able to absorb a few losses down the stretch and still make the playoffs. Now, certainly, the Bruins could make things easier and simply win out, but last week the fear was that the Bruins might not be able to make the playoffs without going undefeated in the regular season, and now I’d say the Bruins have a bit more breathing room.
Now for the fun part. If the season were to end today, UCLA would get a bye into the second round, which is held at old NY6 Bowl sites for the Fiesta, Cotton, Peach, and Rose Bowls. The top four teams pick which bowl they want in descending order. I would assume Georgia would pick the Peach Bowl because it is located in Atlanta. Utah would be an interesting choice, but I think they would lean towards the Fiesta since it is closer to their fanbase. That would leave Alabama to choose between the Cotton and Rose Bowl, and while the Crimson Tide might want to avenge their last two Rose Bowl trips, I have to imagine they would want to play closer to home in Dallas, which could mean UCLA would open up the College Football Playoffs…at the Rose Bowl on January 1.
You could not script things better than that.
Of course, the best way to guarantee that outcome is to continue to win out, so that is what the Bruins will need to keep doing. And that starts Friday at home against Illinois. Now is the perfect time to get out to the Rose Bowl and support this team.
Go Bruins!
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As Robert E. Chesney says, “Doesn’t matter, get better.” Meanwhile, as Mr, Chesney’s AD exhorts, doesn’t matter if it’s a rush hour kickoff or if it’s raining. Get your butts in the Rose Bowl seats and support this incredible team and staff!