3 teams that will rank higher in the CFP rankings, 3 that will rank lower

On By Pranco

The AP Poll for Week 13 has been released and as expected there were some big upsets. BYU lost its first game of the season this weekend, Tennessee fell to Georgia and Colorado and South Carolina remained hot.

  1. Oregon ducks
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes
  3. Texas Longhorns
  4. Penn State Nittany Lions
  5. Indiana Hoosiers
  6. Notre Dame battles Irish
  7. Alabama Crimson Tide
  8. Georgian bulldogs
  9. Ole Miss Rebels
  10. Tennessee volunteers
  11. Hurricanes in Miami
  12. Boise State Broncos
  13. SMU Mustangs
  14. BYU Cougars
  15. Texas A&M Aggies
  16. Colorado Buffaloes
  17. Clemson Tigers
  18. Army Black Knights
  19. South Carolina Gamecocks
  20. Tulane Green Wave
  21. Arizona State Sun Devils
  22. Cyclones in the state of Iowa
  23. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
  24. Illinois battles Illini
  25. Washington State Cougars

But the College Football Playoff The rankings — which will determine each team’s postseason fate in just a few weeks — won’t look quite like this. As we have seen, the AP and the CFP selection committee do not feel the same way. This is where we will see the biggest differences on Tuesday.

This part could have been written before the AP poll was even released. Army fell two spots in the AP Poll to No. 18 after a bye, but that’s still much higher than the CFP will rank the Black Knights.

The CFP selection committee has shown no love for the Black Knights at all this season. The Black Knights were ranked No. 24 in last week’s CFP rankings and had a bye, and I’m guessing the committee didn’t suddenly change their minds during the bye week. When the CFP poll is released Tuesday, the military will still be ranked in the mid-20s, and it will still be too low.

But with Notre Dame next, Army has a chance to jump way up in the rankings — or likely fall out of the top 25 entirely with a loss.

After suffering their first loss of the season late Saturday night against Kansas, the BYU Cougars fell from No. 7 to No. 14 in the AP poll. I would be surprised if they fall that far down the CFP rankings. In fact, I would be surprised if the committee even dropped them from the top 12 for the time being.

The Cougars are currently sixth in the CFP rankings and will obviously fall, but an eight-spot drop doesn’t seem all that likely. I think the committee will still see this team as a conference leader and likely CFP team.

After a nice win against Missouri, the Gamecocks moved up four spots in the AP Poll to No. 19. That’s about where they’ll likely be in the CFP rankings as well, but I predict they’ll get an even bigger jump, perhaps to No. 17. .

South Carolina seemed dead to rights about a month ago, but has reeled off four straight wins — no cakewalk either.

The last three wins have come against Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Missouri. Out of seemingly nowhere, the Gamecocks are a dark horse to upset the College Football Playoff, and their CFP rankings this week could be a big indicator of what their chances actually are.

While the Green Wave deserves a spot in the top 20, I would be quite shocked if the Selection Committee bumped this team up five spots like the AP did.

Will Tulane get the benefit of the doubt and stay ahead of Arizona State after the Sun Devils beat Kansas State yesterday? Probably not – I think ASU comes out of unranked and finishes higher than Tulane.

This team certainly won’t skip South Carolina or Clemson either, so while Tulane will move up, I think it will be a more moderate jump, just a few spots to No. 22 or No. 23.

Possibly also in several places. Deion Sanders’ team won its fourth straight on Saturday and is now tied with BYU for first place in the Big 12 with a 6-1 conference record.

The Buffs were already ranked No. 17 in the CFP rankings before last night’s convincing win against Utah, but will rise even further as the country realizes this team is no joke. Expect a top 15 ranking when the latest CFP rankings are released in a few days.

I wish it weren’t true! But I won’t be surprised if the Runnin’ Rebels still don’t crack the CFP top 25 this week. While this team only has two losses – one a very close game against Boise State, and one an OT loss to Syracuse – I don’t think the committee will be sold on the wins it does have, which puts UNLV right on the edge of the world remains. Another week of CFP top 25.

Here at FanSided, we respect the Mountain West. But I think that’s the difference between us and the selection committee.