The College Football Playoff committee unveiled their first Top 25 rankings last week, and on Tuesday Night we'll get to see their latest rankings after the action in Week 11. The action in Week 11 is going to have a massive impact on how the College Football Playoff committee handles their latest set of rankings as we saw several contenders fall.
When the committee meets to stack each team, there are going to be several debates that need to be accounted for. This weekend saw the ACC take a massive hit, contenders play close games, and more chaos in the Group of 5 which will go into the rankings.
These 3 questions will be answered by the committee
Indiana or Texas A&M?
Last week, Ohio State, Indiana, and Texas A&M all had a case to be the top ranked team in the College Football Playoff Top 25, but it ended with the Buckeyes holding the top ranking followed by Indiana at 2 and Texas A&M at 3. The Buckeyes dominant win this weekend means they're not going anywhere, but there's a debate for the 2nd seed.
Indiana needed a last minute drive to escape with a win over Penn State while Texas A&M dominated a Top 25 Missouri team. Both teams have a really strong Top 10 win with wins over Oregon and Notre Dame respectively while both haven't lost a game. The debate for the second seed is razor thin which begs the question of who will the committee pick this weekend.
Which league deserves the G5 bid? The American Vs the Sun Belt
At least one Group of 5 team will make the College Football Playoff, but where will the committee pick the school from? Last week, the Committee gave Memphis the nod, but after their loss to Tulane we'll have a new team taking the lead in the G5 race. As Memphis has taken a second loss, there's going to be a debate between the American and the Sun Belt for the Playoff bid. James Madison is 8-1, and appears well on their way to winning the Sun Belt Championship and with 1-loss, they'd be tough to deny.
The American is still wide open as there's a 5-way tie atop the league with teams who only have 1 loss in league play. The debate may become whether a James Madison team who only has 1 loss now, and is the clear best team in their conference is better than the best candidate in the American with how it's hard to differentiate the teams right now.
How does the College Football Playoff committee handle the ACC?
The last month has dealt significant damage to the ACC's hopes of getting multiple teams into the Playoff. Last weekend, Virginia and Louisville were the two top teams in the league at 14th and 15th, but after both lost this weekend, there's going to be more movement. Georgia Tech has the best chance to win the league with a respectable record, but they were ranked just 17th last week. How the committee stacks the teams in the ACC is going to be important as it could set up a scenario where the ACC is fighting the Group of 5 for a Playoff bid.