CFP chairman explains rankings for UM, WMU
There were two questions about the initial College Football Playoff rankings that stood out, at least in the eyes' of local football fans.
► Why was Clemson No. 2, ahead of Michigan?
► And why did undefeated Western Michigan check in at No. 23, when it's ranked 17th and 18th in the two weekly polls.
Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt, the chairman of the playoff committee, addressed both late Tuesday night during a conference call with reporters.
On Clemson-Michigan, the committee gave credit to the Tigers for their two wins over teams in the top 10 of the initial playoff rankings, Louisville and Florida State.
"The two wins against CFP top-10 wins were something that stood out to us that nobody else within the CFP top-25 have," Hocutt said. "I think the road wins at Auburn and Florida State impressed the selection committee, and obviously the win at home against Louisville gave the edge to Clemson for that No. 2 spot.
"That being said, the separation was small. Michigan has beaten three teams in our top 25 (Colorado, Penn State, Wisconsin), including a very good CFP-ranked No. 8 Wisconsin team. Michigan has a great defense and has been very consistent as the season has gone along.
"Again, the separation between 2 and 3 was very small."
And, in reality, being 2 instead of 3 or vice versa doesn't mean much, since if that's how things stack up at the end of the season, you're still playing each other in the national semifinals, on a neutral field.
As for Western Michigan, which on Tuesday night became the first team in the nation to be 9-0 after a victory over Ball State, Hocutt said the Broncos were penalized for the strength of schedule.
Western Michigan beat two Big Ten teams in nonconference play, but that was Northwestern and Illinois. And the Mid-American Conference doesn't offer a team the chance to improve its strength of schedule by much.
"We talked about Western Michigan over the past two days in a lot of detail," Hocutt said. "Obviously, an undefeated team, but their schedule strength is a concern to the committee.
"As we look at the quality of wins that they have had over the course of this season, we believe that they belong in the 23rd spot."
The CFP rankings will be released weekly until the Final Four is unveiled Dec. 4, following the conference championship games.
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