NCAAF 2018 Ranking after Conference Championships

NCAA Football Top 25 Rankings

Updated: Week 14, 2 DEC 2018

(Delta Calc'd from Week 13, 26 NOV 2018)

(Click here for a more detailed explanation of my NCAAF rating system)

Some of these rankings my surprise you, but keep in mind that there is no bias towards any team or preconceived notions, and the only thing considered is what each team has accomplished so far.

(For those viewing from a phone, tap the rankings and rotate to enlarge)

Notes:

• The top 5 teams remain unchanged after the conference championships: Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State. 
• #5 Ohio State defeated #24 Northwestern in the Big Ten championship, but it was not enough (as I mentioned last week) to pass Georgia, even with the Bulldogs losing to #1 Alabama. This was largely due to the massive lead that the top 4 teams had over the field.
• Oklahoma passes Michigan for the #6 spot.
• Notre Dame holds on to the #2 spot by a very slim margin, despite not playing and #3 Clemson defeating #30 Pittsburgh
• Top 10 // Top 25  Teams for each conference:
• ACC: 1 // 2 
• Big Ten: 2 // 4
• Big 12: 1 // 2
• Pac 12: 0 // 4
• SEC: 4 // 9

My prediction for the final CFP ranking:

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Notre Dame
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia

I believe the committee will rank Oklahoma above ND in the final rankings. A win over Texas in the Big 12 championship game will get them in the top 4. From there, I believe the committee will place OU above ND because they have played and defeated an extra ranked team to win a conference championship.

If OU passes ND, would it be possible for OSU to pass ND as well? It's possible, but unlikely. I actually see this as the more likely of the scenarios for OSU to make the playoffs (passing ND rather than OU). However, I do not believe this will happen. I believe OU will pass ND but not OSU because of that terrible loss to Purdue that the Buckeyes have.

Should Notre Dame get in the playoffs even though they didn't play a conference championship game? Despite what your opinions are on this question, this is not a reason that the committee will use against ND. Again, I don't believe Ohio State will pass Notre Dame... but if, on the completely off chance that both OU and OSU do pass ND, leaving the Irish out of the playoffs, it will be because of the positives for those teams, not as a punishment against ND. Keep in mind, the past two seasons have seen teams that didn't even play in their conference championships make the playoffs (2016 Ohio State, 2017 Alabama). And both of those teams had a loss, which ND does not have.

Poll Comparison

(check back when the CFP committee releases their ranking... I'll update this table)

Conference Comparison

As always, please leave questions/comments below! If you would like to see more than just the Top 25, or any ratings for Div I-AA, Div-II, or Div-III, just let me know!