SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Fireworks are seen during the national anthem prior to the CFP National Championship between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)On Tuesday night, the latest College Football Playoff Rankings were released in relatively controversial fashion.
No, there wasn’t controversy at the top of the rankings, but lower down there certainly was. North Carolina jumped up two spots in the latest rankings, despite losing to Notre Dame.
But that was just the beginning of the questions for the playoff committee. Perhaps the most questionable, though, came on a decision about a team that won their game last weekend.
Oklahoma State moved from No. 23 all the way up to No. 15 in the latest rankings. At first glance, football fans would have assumed the Cowboys played a top-10 team.
In reality, the Cowboys won by less than a touchdown over a team that already had five losses on the season. Oklahoma State took down Texas Tech by a final score of 50-44.
It’s safe to say the college football world was surprised by the news.
Exhibits 1 & 2 why the @CFBPlayoff rankings are absolutely meaningless until the final one:
1-North Carolina loses by 14 at home to Notre Dame … and moves up 2 spots to 17
2-Oklahoma State defeats 3-6 Texas Tech by 6 at home … and moves up 8 spots to 15
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 2, 2020
Oklahoma State is a good football team. However, the Cowboys beat a bad Texas Tech team and were rewarded for it – for seemingly no reason.
If Texas Tech was a top-10 team – or even ranked at all – the move would be believable. And yet, the committee obviously believes the Cowboys performed well enough to move up nearly 10 spots in the rankings.
Of course, the only rankings that really matter won’t come until later in the season.
