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3 things to watch for in College Football Playoff rankings prior to Championship Week

By Frank Sciarroni

Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the Ole Miss Rebels on the sidelines during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Rebels defeated the Razorbacks 63-31.
Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the Ole Miss Rebels on the sidelines during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Rebels defeated the Razorbacks 63-31. / Wesley Hitt/GettyImages
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The final “tune up” rankings for the College Football Playoff committee will be released on Tuesday night. With the final rankings set to be released on Sunday after the Conference Championship games these are not the end all be all, but there are some teams too take note of where they land in this weeks edition.

Here are three things to watch for in the Week 15 College Football Playoff rankings:

1. How far Ohio State will fall

In one of the most shocking outcomes of the season Ohio State lost at home to then 6-5 rival Michigan. With that loss the Buckeyes are destined to fall, but how far they fall will be something to keep an eye on. 

By no means do I see them dropping out of the playoff picture, but the Buckeyes will be teetering the line of either hosting or having to go on the road in the first round of the playoff. 

The AP Poll dropped Ryan Day’s team down five spots to No.7 which would slot them at the #9 seed in the bracket and traveling to Tennessee in the first round.

2. Arizona State(B12)/Boise State(MW) GAP

One spot that will come down to conference championship weekend is that fourth highest ranked conference champion who will receive a bye in the first round. This spot will most likely come down to these two teams/conferences.

With all the craziness in the Big 12, Boise State was finally able to jump ahead of their highest ranked team two weeks ago, but now ASU is on the climb. In last week's rankings Boise State moved up one spot to No.11 while the Sun Devils jumped five to No.16. 

Keep an eye on if this gap between the two conferences closes anymore in this week's rankings in the race for the final bye.

3. The bunch of three from the SEC

With Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina all sitting at 9-3, and likely only one of them getting in, it will be impossible for the committee to please everyone. No question this is what will cause the most controversy and complaints towards the committee. As always social media should be a very civil place come Tuesday night. 

With none of these teams playing in the SEC Championship, this week's rankings should tell us whose in and who will be left just outside of the big dance. Here is a quick rundown of how all these teams compare to one another: 

  • Alabama: Has bad loses (Vanderbilt and Oklahoma), big win vs Georgia, beat SC H2H 27-25
  • Ole Miss: Has bad loses (Kentucky and Florida), big win vs Georgia, beat SC H2H 27-3
  • South Carolina: Has lost to both teams H2H, one of the hottest teams at the moment having not lost since Week 7, three ranked wins in past five games

Now one thing the committee has been pretty consistent with this year has been honoring head-to-head victories, but they have also stressed the importance of watching the games and football judgement. In my opinion Shane Beamer has the Gamecocks playing the best ball out of these three teams and I would go South Carolina, Alabama, then Ole Miss. 

We will see how this all shakes out when the rankings are officially released on Tuesday night at 7pm ET on ESPN.

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