CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek explains why Oregon ranked ahead of Oklahoma

The third edition of the College Football Playoff rankings debuted on Tuesday night. And there are some interesting discussions to be had about the teams just above the cut line, like Oregon and Oklahoma.

Both of those programs are safely in the field right now, with the playoff cut line between the No. 10 and No. 11 spots in the rankings. So No. 10 Alabama would be the final team in the field if Tuesday’s rankings were the final edition.

The difference between No. 10 and No. 7, though, could be quite large. It could be the difference between hosting a first-round playoff game or not, and that could be a hugely significant factor in advancing.

So College Football Playoff selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek addressed that range of the rankings, specifically noting the differences between No. 7 Oregon and No. 8 Oklahoma. He explained how the committee approached things, first and foremost.

“We had significant discussion of the teams 7-10, quite candidly, all grouped there together,” Yurachek said. “Comparing Oklahoma, Oregon, Notre Dame and Alabama and the resumes of those teams.”

So what was it that allowed Oregon to stay ahead of Oklahoma? First off, it’s worth noting that Oregon is 9-1 on the season, while Oklahoma is 8-2.

“Oregon, while their strength of schedule metric may not be as strong as an Oklahoma, we felt like they are a very strong team on both sides of the ball,” Yurachek noted. “Offensively and defensively, they rank in the Top 10 of most of the statistical categories that we use, in comparison to other teams.”

That balance on both sides of the ball is something the committee mentioned when referencing a few teams. For example, Alabama’s lack of a consistent run game was noted as a negative.

But beyond a well-balanced profile, Oregon also has other things working in its favor. Yurachek continued.

“They had a really big win at an Iowa team at Iowa two weeks ago,” Yurachek said. “Iowa was ranked in our Top 25 previously. They won at Penn State. I know Penn State is not the same Penn State we expected them to be this year. Still, it’s a very challenging place to play as evidenced by Indiana having to have a last-second touchdown to win there a couple weeks ago. So there was significant discussion about that, but Oregon at 9-1 stayed one spot ahead of Oklahoma at 8.”