College Football Playoff Rankings 2019: Projected Top 25, Week 11
By Zach Bigalke
In November we shift focus from the AP Top 25 to looking at how the College Football Playoff rankings will line up. Here are the projections for Week 11.
The first weekend of November means that the College Football Playoff selection committee now dominates the college football landscape. A dozen deliberators in a room determine which teams make the cut along the lines, whether for the top four spots into the semifinal bracket or into one of the other New Year’s Six spots.
That means our way of thinking about Top 25 projections also changes here this time of the year. For the third straight season, we shift our focus from trying to read the minds of AP voters to thinking about the divergent ways that the College Football Playoff selection committee considers their hierarchy of teams.
Because the selection committee operates behind closed doors and does not present any documentation beyond the often-contradictory descriptions provided from week to week on the made-for-TV rankings show on ESPN, we have to glean largely from past precedent that can itself prove flawed in the contradictions of the committee. But there are some patterns that we can understand about the way the committee thinks, and that’s what we offer here this week.
Both of the undefeated Group of Five teams entering Week 10 are undefeated no more as we head toward Week 11. With Boise State also behind at halftime against San Jose State, they are projected to fall out of the picture for the selection committee as well.
So with the new month upon us and the homestretch of the regular season ahead, let’s break down what happened in Week 10 and project the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings heading into Week 11.
UPDATE: The College Football Playoff selection committee Top 25 projections have been revised to include Boise State after the Broncos won a 52-42 road game over San Jose State in late-night action in Week 10. Navy has been dropped from the list to include Boise State in this week’s projections.