A perfect match between the two completely independent polls won’t happen, but the one thing the College Football Playoff ranking and the AP Top 25 can’t seem to agree on is Notre Dame.
The AP gave the Irish their highest ranking of the season at No. 4 this week, whereas the College Football Playoff Committee dropped Notre Dame out of serious playoff contention, much to the surprise of irate Irish fans. According to the committee, Notre Dame will need the Big 12 or the Big Ten to lose to get in.
It’s not that the Irish’s don’t have a legitimate claim with their only loss to No. 1 Clemson, but they don’t have a signature win and Oklahoma and Iowa are surging.
With one loss, Notre Dame shouldn’t be locked in a spot in the top four, and finally the committee is starting to think so.
Here’s how the AP and Playoff Committee’s Top 5 stack up this week:
Hey now! Top 25 https://t.co/FyHe9exD28 and coaches https://t.co/22QtyhuOQR from @USATodaySports all matched up! pic.twitter.com/uS9SPb6GUw
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) November 23, 2015
Full #CFP25 for games played through November 21 https://t.co/nzVRBrICnx pic.twitter.com/Jgzs0WxAaN
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) November 25, 2015
After a few upsets and losses to top-five teams, the polls are starting to divert from one another with one game left in the regular season.
Although Houston is the only team in the AP Top 25 not in the Playoff rankings, replaced instead by Utah.
Only four SEC teams remain in both rankings, led by Alabama. The SEC’s only other shot at making the playoff, Florida, dropped out of the top 10 in both polls (8 to 12 in the playoff) after a narrow win over FAU at home.
If you think your team got shammed in the College Football Playoff ranking, don’t worry. Teams are bound to rise and fall between now and the semifinal selections.
