The first round of college football playoff rankings were released Tuesday and there were familiar suspects at the very top; Georgia and Alabama. Not too surprising to any college football fan. What seemed to shot national pundits, and fans in the Northwest, was Oregon’s appearance at #4 in the first round of rankings. They jump from #7 in previous Coaches and AP polls over the likes of undefeated Oklahoma and Ohio State.
There was another undefeated team missing that also had a signature win on the road this season; Cincinnati.
It’s important to consider the conference in which Cincinnati resides. There aren’t too many world beaters in the AAC (American Athletic Conference), but their win over Notre Dame on the road should account for something. It’s also easy to draw a direct correlation between Cincy and Oregon considering the Ducks also have one notable win on the road against a perennial powerhouse, Ohio State.
But it really all comes down to conference affiliation in the college football playoff committee’s eyes. The Pac-12 is more competitive which makes Oregon’s loss to Stanford look all the more logical. The real test will come in the following weeks as the Ducks will face two rivals and a competitive Arizona State team.
if the committee is so concerned about Cincinnati playing poorly the last few weeks WAIT UNTIL THEY HEAR ABOUT OREGON ACTUALLY LOSING TO STANFORD
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 3, 2021
If you’re a fan of the Pac-12, it’s great to see Oregon in the mix for a college football playoff spot. It would be the first time this conference has appeared at the dance since 2016. It’s also nice to see Oklahoma isn’t there.
