The first 12-team College Football Playoff ranking reveal on Tuesday didn’t stray far from the AP Top 25. How did the sport’s coaches react? Who are they high on and who has their skepticism?
SMU got ‘a lot of respect’ — is there a path?
SMU, unranked in the preseason AP poll (but had the fourth-most votes outside of the Top 25) has been one of the best stories in college football this season. Thirty-five years after the NCAA death penalty, the Mustangs are coming off their first Top-25 finish since the program was reborn. But with SMU moving up from the AAC to the ACC, there was plenty of skepticism about how the Mustangs would hold up. They were picked seventh in the ACC’s preseason poll.
In Tuesday night’s first CFP rankings, 8-1 SMU debuted at No. 13 — the first team outside the 12-team field. Helping the Mustangs’ cause are wins at No. 22 Louisville and against an unbeaten Pitt squad ranked No. 18 by the CFP. They also have a three-point home loss in early September against a still-undefeated BYU team. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee liked what he saw from the rankings.
“I’m pleased where they put us,” Lashlee told The Athletic. “I felt like they gave us a lot of respect. I wouldn’t have been shocked if they had us at No. 14, 15 or 16. It showed they respected Pitt ahead of time, which means they had them higher than (the AP poll) before we beat them. They gave Louisville some good respect. And for us, we played Florida State, and who would’ve thought that wouldn’t have been a good win for us? And then BYU’s undefeated.
“Overall, this is pretty cool, man. This is the first time ever they’ve done something like this. I think it’s pretty good for our game. They pretty much told you what they think. They put four SEC teams in. Put four Big Ten teams in.”
Miami, at No. 4, is the lone ACC team to crack the top 12.
The Mustangs’ path to the Playoff looks promising. They have three regular-season games remaining, all against 4-4 opponents: Boston College, Virginia and Cal. A potential showdown looms with Miami, where Lashlee had been an offensive coordinator before taking the SMU head coach job.
“For us, it’s just keep winning because there’s so much that is gonna happen in the next three or four weeks, and then who wins the conferences matter,” Lashlee added. “I think it also means that if we win our next three, but don’t beat Miami in a close game, we’d have a shot to sneak in. It’s not guaranteed, but if we were No. 15 or No. 16, then they’re pretty much telling you that you have got to win the conference.”
Lashlee knows, of course, that a lot can and will change in the next month, and that includes how the CFP committee might look at teams and their resumes.
Boise State can be a pest in the Playoff
Washington State coach Jake Dickert also was happy to see where his program came in Tuesday night. The 7-1 Cougars are ranked No. 21.
“It’s a great starting point,” he told The Athletic. “We have a long journey ahead. It’s cool momentum for our program in recruiting and it shows our players that hard work pays off.”
Dickert, who has coached at every level of college football, has an interesting perspective on No. 12 Boise State, the Group of 5 program with the best shot at making the Playoff. The Cougars’ lone loss this season was a 45-24 defeat to Boise. Dickert’s team last year almost beat Washington; it lost 24-21 on the road to the Huskies, who played in the national title game.
Dickert believes the Broncos can compete in the Playoff and give bigger-brand programs some problems. He’s high on what he’s seen from Boise State this season — not only when his team played the Broncos, but how the Broncos almost knocked off Oregon, now the nation’s No. 1 team, at Autzen Stadium (they went on to lose 37-34).
“You gotta be able to compete at the line of scrimmage. That’s the biggest difference when you go up the levels,” Dickert said. “I think they have the ability to do that, to give themselves a chance. The offense is old-school enough where they have just enough guys on the edges to beat you. They’re physical enough in their core seven (on defense) to be able to play with a team that is gonna try and run at them. I think that gives you a chance.
“The one thing that has probably changed since our game: Their quarterback (Maddux Madsen) has played exceptionally better. Against us, he struggled. I wondered how far they could go, but he’s really elevated because people are stacking the box. We couldn’t tackle (running back Ashton) Jeanty. We held him to mostly under 5-yard runs except for three runs, but those were 70-, 65- and 55-yard touchdowns. I’d love to get another shot at them, but that’s not the way this is set up.”
Other reactions from around college football
On 7-1 Tennessee at No. 7
“I think their defense is the best we’ve faced in years,” said a Power 4 head coach. “Their front seven is elite. They’re really phenomenal on defense. Their back, Dylan Sampson, is very good. The question is whether their young quarterback (Nico Iamaleava) is ready to win games against big-time opponents. Can he consistently get it done? They’re gonna need a little more from him. I am curious to see how he handles playing at Georgia (Nov. 16).”
On 7-1 Penn State at No. 6 — and without any wins over the CFP’s top 25
“I think there’s some brand love there,” said another Power 4 head coach. “At least Texas (No. 5 and also 7-1 without any Top 25 wins) is playing in the SEC.”
On 9-0 Indiana at No. 8, behind Penn State
One Big Ten defensive coach who faced them this season said he thinks folks, including the Playoff committee, aren’t giving the Hoosiers enough credit. Indiana has dominated every team it has faced.
A Big Ten coach thinks the quarterbacks this year are underwhelming, but said Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke is better than most people realize. “He is really good,” he said. “He’s very accurate. He takes what you give him. He’s not a runner, but he’s not scared to run when the opportunity presents itself. He’s a big kid who is hard to bring down. After we played him, we thought, ‘Man, that guy’s good’.”
(Top photo: Matthew Visinsky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
