Predicting BYU’s Drop in Latest College Football Playoff Rankings
As the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings keep shifting, trying to guess what the committee will do next is a mix of guesswork and careful analysis. The first CFP rankings dropped on November 4, stirring up plenty of chatter and some heated debates.
Every week, the committee releases its Top 25, and fans pore over every change. This article pokes into the latest projections, a few curveballs in the rankings, and what might be coming as the season barrels ahead.
Contents
Understanding the College Football Playoff Rankings
The CFP rankings come from a selection committee that weighs teams using a bunch of metrics. Strength of schedule and strength of record are big ones.
It’s not just about who won or lost. The committee digs into the quality of opponents and the story behind each game.
Surprises in the Initial Rankings
One of the bigger surprises early on was Notre Dame landing well ahead of Miami, even though Miami beat them in Week 1. That raised a few eyebrows, though folks who’d followed the projections weren’t all that shocked.
Notre Dame and Miami ended up at 10th and 18th, exactly as the prediction model guessed. Not bad, right?
The Prediction Model: A Deep Dive
The prediction model has a solid track record. Last year, it nailed all 12 teams in the final CFP bracket and even got the seeds right.
It looks at a few key things:
- Strength of schedule
- Strength of record
- Key wins and losses
Some folks worry it might miss big swings in strength of schedule, but so far, it’s held up. The only real curveball was Utah showing up at No. 13, a bit higher than the AP poll or the model expected.
Big 12’s Unexpected Boost
The Big 12 got a surprising amount of love from the committee, with Utah ranked higher than most thought. Maybe the committee’s got a soft spot for certain conferences?
BYU’s drop from No. 7 to No. 10 after losing to Texas Tech wasn’t as harsh as some predicted. It seems the committee still thinks pretty highly of them.
BYU’s Position and Future Prospects
BYU’s current spot in the rankings is kind of fascinating. Even after a rough loss to Texas Tech, they only slipped to No. 10—still ahead of Texas, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt.
That’s mostly thanks to BYU’s stronger record compared to those SEC teams, even if their schedule hasn’t been as tough.
Comparative Analysis
When you stack BYU against other teams, the committee’s approach becomes clearer. Utah, with two losses to Texas Tech and BYU, landed behind Texas and Oklahoma but ahead of Vanderbilt.
It’s tough to see a one-loss BYU team dropping as far as a two-loss Utah, especially since Utah’s metrics just aren’t as strong.
Implications for the Big 12
The rankings matter a lot for the Big 12. An at-large bid from the conference seems like a long shot unless Texas Tech pulls something wild off.
Texas and Oklahoma both have brutal schedules coming up—Texas faces Georgia, and Oklahoma gets Alabama. Those games could shake things up if either team manages a big win.
Future Projections
The next few weeks are going to be huge for the final CFP rankings. BYU’s remaining schedule is ranked 45th, which is a bit of a breather compared to what Texas and Oklahoma are staring down.
If the Longhorns or Sooners can pull off some upsets, BYU might find itself getting leapfrogged. Guess we’ll see soon enough.
Conclusion
The end of the season is creeping up, and the CFP rankings? They’re still shifting. BYU, Texas, and Oklahoma—those teams can shape their own futures, but it’s not going to be easy.
The prediction model’s been pretty solid at guessing what the committee might do. Still, who really knows? Football has a way of flipping the script when you least expect it.
If you want to dig deeper or just keep tabs on the latest projections, check out the full article here.
