Paul Finebaum reveals his College Football Playoff Top 4 and 1 after Week 11
Following Saturday’s slate of action, analyst Paul Finebaum appeared on SportsCenter. There, he shared his ‘rank and file teams.’ Essentially, it’s a top-four and one team to keep an eye on for later.
At this point, there are only two weeks left in the regular season. So, the real contenders for the College Football Playoff have made themselves known. At the same time, this season has had several teams emerge as Playoff contenders that nobody expected. It’s made for a relatively crowded Playoff field for the final stretch of the season.
Finebaum is confident in his top four teams, plus one just on the outside looking in, despite how crowded a field it’s been this season.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
For Finebaum, the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs are an obvious choice to be the top-ranked team in the country. After all, Georgia passes the eye test and with two recent wins over Missouri and Ole Miss, the Bulldogs finally have the resume to match that eye test.
To this point, the College Football Playoff selection committee hasn’t had the Bulldogs in the top spot. That’s largely because the Ohio State Buckeyes simply have a better strength of schedule. However, there is a good chance the committee ends up agreeing with Finebaum as tight end Brock Bowers made his return and the Bulldogs boosted their resume this week.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Right behind those Georgia Bulldogs are the Ohio State Buckeyes. The resume has gotten weaker the past couple of weeks, with Notre Dame and Penn State losing games. However, the Buckeyes did manage to get a huge win for the eye test against Michigan State over the weekend.
There is plenty of room to debate what order Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan belong in at this point. It’s going to work itself out, though. Ohio State and Michigan will play in the final week of the season, which will in turn be a huge resume boost for one team or the other. For now, though, the Buckeyes do have the better overall resume.
3. Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines started this season against a relatively weak schedule. Finally, the Wolverines were tested over the weekend in Happy Valley. It was a win over Penn State, but it’s hard to bump Michigan ahead of Ohio State when the Buckeyes have the same win. So, Michigan will need to wait for their head-to-head game.
Of course, amid all of this, Michigan is embroiled in a scandal. The Big Ten suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season for the program’s stealing of signs. That first game of the suspension was against Penn State, but it didn’t slow the Wolverines down.
4. Florida State Seminoles
Paul Finebaum still has Florida State fourth in his Playoff rankings. That’s despite the Seminoles struggling at home over the weekend against a Miami team that has struggled in conference play this season. Still, it’s a win and with that win Florida State stayed unbeaten this season.
There is a general consensus that to make the Playoff, the Seminoles will need to win out. The ACC is far from the strongest Power Five conference this season. So, unlike a conference like the SEC where there is the chance to lose a good conference game and make it, the Seminoles will need to win out at this point.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
After losing to Texas and struggling against USF, there were many people who left the Crimson Tide for dead as far as the College Football Playoff is concerned. However, since then, Alabama has rapidly improved and is now set to play in the SEC Championship Game. So, the Playoff is well within reach.
Finebaum has Alabama here ahead of several other deserving teams. That includes a one-loss Texas team that beat Alabama and an unbeaten Washington team. However, as he explained, a win over Georgia should catapult the Crimson Tide forward.
At this point in the season, there are five unbeaten teams remaining in the Power Five conferences. There are also four one-loss teams. So, for now, the race for the College Football Playoff is open. The next rankings will come out on Tuesday night, giving an insight into where teams currently stand in the eyes of the committee.