It’s finally here: the first set of College Football Playoff rankings. After 9 weeks of awesome, crazy, unpredictable games, we get a chance to see what the committee thinks are the best 25 teams in college football. Even though these weekly rankings during the season are clearly a ratings grab, it’s still going to be fun to analyze and argue about (and frankly overthink) these rankings. First let’s take a quick look at the Coaches and AP polls to set the table.
Week 9 Coaches/AP Polls
| Rank | AP | Coaches |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | AP | Coaches |
| 1 | Alabama | Alabama |
| 2 | Georgia | Georgia |
| 3 | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| 4 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin |
| 5 | Notre Dame | Clemson |
| 6 | Clemson | Miami |
| 7 | Penn State | Penn State |
| 8 | Oklahoma | Notre Dame |
| 9 | Miami | Oklahoma |
| 10 | TCU | Oklahoma State |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | Washington |
| 12 | Washington | TCU |
| 13 | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech |
| 14 | Iowa State | UCF |
| 15 | UCF | Auburn |
| 16 | Auburn | Iowa State |
| 17 | USC | USC |
| 18 | Stanford | Stanford |
| 19 | LSU | NC State |
| 20 | NC State | LSU |
| 21 | Mississippi State | Memphis |
| 22 | Memphis | Mississippi State |
| 23 | Arizona | USF |
| 24 | Michigan State | Michigan |
| 25 | Washington State | Arizona |
Quick Thoughts
- The AP and Coaches Poll were largely similar; the biggest differences of relevance were Notre Dame and Miami.