4 takeaways from Week 11 College Football Playoff rankings

Last week, the College Football Playoff committee gave us a top four of Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Texas A&M.

Washington, an undefeated program from a Power 5 conference, was left on the cutting-room floor in favor of the one-loss Aggies. It caught most everyone off guard, especially me. Maybe that was the point all along.

In the end, the CFP rankings is a television show. If the committee had gone straight chalk, there wouldn’t have been nearly as much to talk about — or write about, for my purposes — the next day. I love a quality conspiracy theory, so I’m of the belief that it was an intentional move to manufacture some harmless drama out of thin air.

However, there was no wiggle room left for voters. With A&M losing to Mississippi State and U-Dub beating up Cal, the Aggies are out and the Huskies are in after Tuesday’s big reveal. All is right with the pigskin world again.

Here are my four most important takeaways from the second installment of the CFP rankings. We’re a step closer now to the Final Four.

no other top 4 made sense

The only teams that deserve to be at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings right now are Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Washington.

All four have bulletproof résumés. They’re undefeated. They’re from Power 5 conferences. They’re in line to win their leagues and beat some pretty good clubs along the way. This was a controversy-free decision.

Within the Top 4, I could make a case for Michigan over Clemson. I feel the Wolverines have been more consistent this season. They’ve only been challenged by Wisconsin and Michigan State. The Badgers might be the best two-loss team in the country, and while the Spartans are down, rivalry games are never certain.

The Tigers, on the other hand, have played down to the level of some inferior competition here and there in 2016. That didn’t happen last Saturday, of course, as they clobbered Syracuse, but the whole schedule must be taken into consideration.

From my perspective, it’s still the Crimson Tide on the throne and the rest of the nation battling below. They’re on another level.

head-to-head headache

Yes, Texas A&M defeated Auburn back in Week 3 by two touchdowns. An awful lot has happened to both teams since, though.

At the time, the Aggies moved to 3-0 and had announced themselves as somewhat surprising contenders in the SEC West. The Tigers, conversely, fell to 1-2 and were staring down the barrel of what felt like a long season ahead.

A month and a half or so later, A&M and and Auburn are clearly heading in opposite directions. The Aggies have lost two of their past three. A 19-point loss to Alabama was nothing to be ashamed about, but this past Saturday’s upset at the hands of Mississippi State — a 3-5 squad at the time — left no excuses.

Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

As for the Tigers, they’ve won six straight and toppled LSU and Arkansas along the way. Week 10’s close call with Vanderbilt aside, this is a club that seems to be finding itself and improving as the year progresses.

Nevertheless, the committee has Texas A&M at No. 8 and Auburn at No. 9. Head-to-head should matter, naturally, but it’s not the be-all-end-all.

the proverbial ‘good loss’

Aforementioned Texas A&M was upset by a Mississippi State team that likely won’t go to a bowl game.

But the committee still sees something in the Aggies for whatever reason. Starting off at No. 4 in the rankings last week, they only dropped to No. 8 this week. That’s not much of a fall for what seems to be a horrific loss.

Compare that to LSU. The Tigers were No. 13 a week ago. Now they’re all the way down at No. 24. What happened in those seven days? The Bayou Bengals were locked in a scoreless tie for three quarters with the clear-cut No. 1 team in America, Alabama, before ultimately falling in the fourth and final frame.

Look, it’s impossible for all the logic to add up. Schedule strength, conference inequality, margin of victory — so many things must be taken into consideration. Still, LSU’s punishment was much more severe than A&M’s.

Luckily for the Tigers, they get a chance to prove they’re the superior squad Thanksgiving weekend, when the Aggies visit Death Valley.

my old kentucky home

Of the teams on the outside of the playoff looking in, Louisville is in prime pouncing position to eventually gain entry.

At No. 6, the Cardinals only have Wake Forest, Houston and Kentucky left on their schedule. Coach Bobby Petrino isn’t afraid of scoring some style points, so expect Lamar Jackson and Co. to hang a few big numbers the rest of the way.

More than likely, No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 5 Ohio State in the season finale will eliminate the loser from consideration. Losing that late in the season — and not making it to the Big Ten Championship Game as a result — will leave a lasting impression in the eyes of the committee. Louisville has no such problem.

Wisconsin, one spot behind the Cards at No. 7, will probably face the winner of Wolverines-Buckeyes in the conference title game. They’ve already lost to both, so there’s no reason to think those results would change on a neutral field.

Louisville’s only blemish came in the final minute to No. 2 Clemson on the road. ACC title game or not, that’s a convincing case.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.