Staples & Wasserman: What if Las Vegas released the College Football Playoff rankings?
Ari Wasserman took part in the mock College Football Playoff selection exercise this season. He asked CFP executive director Bill Hancock if committee members ever looked at hypothetical point spreads to help determine whether one team should be ranked higher than another. Hancock called Wasserman a degenerate.
The College Football Playoff selection committee's ranking is based on a hypothetical, neutral-field series of games. This year, the Crimson Tide have lost once and they've looked mortal against Texas and Texas A&M. The committee might still have Texas in the top 10. The team to consider for the four-team field is the teams that the committee may still consider.
Georgia is the best team in the SEC and the general public. Las Vegas has given us a clue with the gambling odds, favoring the Bulldogs by eight points against the top-ranked team this weekend.
No. 2 Ohio State is the team the public loves gambling on more than any other team.
No. 3 Alabama is built to compete with anyone. The Crimson Tide lost one game and almost dropped a few others.
No. 4 Tennessee has already beaten Alabama. The Crimson Tide was favored by more than a touchdown when playing in Knoxville. If there was a rematch of this game on a neutral field, Alabama would likely be laying a field goal.
No. 5 Michigan has won every game but one by double figures. The Wolverines are a sturdy team with an incredible offensive line and can run the ball down anyone's throat.
No. 6 Clemson is a team that knows how to win. The Tigers are only giving 2.5 points at Notre Dame on Saturday.
No. 7 Oregon lost to Georgia. The team has a fun offense. They would be competitive with most teams if they played this Saturday.
No. 8 TCU is a double-digit underdog against the teams atop this list. The committee disliked that TCU has had to come back for thrilling wins against Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
LSU is confused about its position in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Tigers lost to Tennessee and Ole Miss, but they beat them. They play against Alabama on Saturday.
No. 10 USC is in a good position to make the Playoff this year. USC will show the world if they are actually good when they face UCLA in few weeks.
