What Seven Teams Scorned by College Football Playoff Committee Must Do to Get Back in Good Graces

The College Football Playoff committee made clear they were not impressed by these seven teams. Here’s what they must do to get back in their good graces.

Despite a 7–1 record, Wake Forest has serious work to do to get into the mix for the 12-team College Football Playoff field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Leaves falling off trees, talks of turkey and yes, outrage about college football rankings can only mean one thing: We’ve arrived in November. The latter sentiment was rampant on Tuesday night when the College Football Playoff selection committee put together its first rankings of the season.

While the committee had quite a tough task sorting through résumés in a season where little has made sense, it was still disappointing to see the rankings littered with straw man fallacies, a little bit of hypocrisy and some genuinely head-scratching snubs.

To that end, seven teams checked in far lower than any would have expected, for one reason or another. Besides winning (obviously), here’s what those seven programs must do to impress the committee.

No. 8 UCLA Bruins

Win out and do so convincingly

In putting a two-loss Texas team ahead of undefeated UCLA, the committee, aside from failing to duck the in-love-with-the-SEC allegations, sent a clear message to the Bruins. Essentially, that they’re not impressed by UCLA’s signature win over Oregon in October, nor are they blown away by the Bruins’ strength of schedule—ranked 77th in the country. Never mind that Utah, whom the committee ranked third, has a schedule toughness that ranks just 83rd in the country.

Perhaps it’s the lack of a signature win, the strength of schedule argument or the quarterback situation, but it’s clear that UCLA has little margin for error with this committee. Winning out convincingly, especially in the regular season finale against USC, and putting forth a competitive showing in the Big Ten title game has now become essential. 

Wayne Knight has been an engine of UCLA’s offense under Bob Chesney. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Beat Miami

For Notre Dame, it’s really quite simple: Saturday’s game against Miami has now become a must-win. In explaining away the Fighting Irish slotting in at 11th in the initial rankings, committee chairman Hunter Yurachek was crystal clear: “They don’t have that signature win right now.”

Anyone already tired of hearing that term? If anything, things may have gotten easier, and at worst, clearer, for the Irish after Tuesday night. Win against Miami and, outside of a Hurricanes collapse down the stretch, Notre Dame will effectively be grandfathered into the playoff on the strength of the victory, barring its own potential late-season stumble. Lose, and Marcus Freeman and company will have even more reasons to long for the upcoming 24-team playoff.

No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes

Show a pulse offensively with a backup QB

Unfortunately for Ohio State, the committee valued last Saturday’s stinker against USC, with freshman Luke Fahey under center, more than its win over the fourth-ranked Hoosiers, which Julian Sayin started before leaving with an injury, leading to Fahey finishing out the final eight minutes of the contest.

Obviously, ranked 12th and effectively on the playoff bubble, the Buckeyes must return to the winner’s circle. But, as we saw with Florida State back in 2023, simply winning might not be enough. Ohio State needs to show a pulse offensively and prove to the committee that the Julian Sayin-less offense is worth trusting.

The road to the College Football Playoff has gotten significantly tougher for Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers

Root for Alabama and Texas. Oh, and beat Kentucky

One of the great head-scratchers is that Tennessee, which dominated Alabama 26–10 just a couple weeks ago, was ranked eight spots behind the Crimson Tide. And while the Volunteers have one of the better quality losses in the country to then-No. 1 Texas back in September, it’s apparent that the only thing keeping the Volunteers this high in the rankings (and not high enough) is their defeat of Alabama.

So, Tennessee needs to hope that the committee’s love affair with the Crimson Tide continues, and that Texas continues its upward trajectory. Oh, and finding a way to beat Kentucky in Week 10 wouldn’t hurt.

No. 14 LSU Tigers

Get a (rolls eyes) signature win out of hellacious SEC slate

Not that phrase again! But if there’s any team being propped up by quality losses right now, it’s the Tigers, who dropped road dates against current playoff teams Ole Miss and Kentucky by a combined nine points. That, more so than horribly-aged wins over Texas A&M and Mississippi State, is the crux of the argument for LSU being just outside the CFP.

So the Tigers badly need a signature win. And LSU can change that by emerging victorious against Alabama and Texas. Easier said than done, but wins against those two teams, given how much the committee likes them, may be enough to get the Tigers in even if they drop one more game to become a three-loss SEC team.

No. 16 Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Win out and play Miami tough in ACC title game

If an undefeated UCLA team has little margin for error, a one-loss Wake Forest team—even if the defeat came to the top-ranked Hurricanes—has approximately zero room for error down the stretch, particularly with the committee seemingly hand-in-hand, singing Kumbaya with the SEC.

The committee wasn’t the slightest bit impressed by Wake Forest’s combined margin of victory of 187–31 over its four middling ACC opponents in October, so it’s going to take quite a bit to catch their attention down the stretch. At the very least, the Demon Deacons need to win out and play competitively, likely in a rematch with Miami in the ACC title game. And they may very well need to win the title game and secure the autobid to feel at all comfortable, given the ominous vibes from the committee. 

No. 25 Boise State Broncos

Pray the defense can hold up against two of the Pac-12’s most explosive offenses

The status of starting quarterback Maddux Madsen, who is day-to-day after exiting last week’s win over Texas State due to injury, obviously bears watching.

But the Broncos have been living dangerously of late, thanks to a defense that has been bleeding explosive plays all season long and ranks near the bottom nationally in allowing plays of 20 or more yards.

Boise State will take on two of the best passing offenses in the Pac-12 in Colorado State and Oregon State over the next couple of weeks. The Broncos will need to pray that their defense can hold up against these high-octane passing attacks, especially given the committee’s skepticism and the fact that New Mexico and UTSA are breathing down their neck for the Group of 6’s autobid.

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