Key Highlights
- Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin defended Texas A&M’s ranking in the first official College Football Playoff rankings.
- Kiffin criticized the evaluation process, suggesting that strength of schedule should be more heavily weighted to reward teams for playing tough opponents.
- Despite a strong 9-0 start and wins against ranked teams, Texas A&M is currently ranked third, behind Ohio State (1) and Indiana (2).
- The College Football Playoff selection committee has adjusted its evaluation process this year to place greater emphasis on strength of schedule.
Coach Kiffin’s Critique: Evaluating the Rankings Process
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin recently spoke out about the College Football Playoff rankings, expressing his thoughts on why Texas A&M, a fellow SEC team, is not ranked higher. In an interview, Kiffin highlighted the performance of the Aggies and questioned whether their ranking reflects their overall strength and effort.
“I think in some ways a little bit, but … in other ways, no,” Kiffin said when asked if he was encouraged by Texas A&M’s ranking of third. “You know, Texas A&M being (No.) 3. What more do you want them to do to be (No.) 1? …
When people want to schedule, and they say, ‘OK, man, we need you to schedule hard teams.’ … Well, they (the Aggies) went up to Notre Dame and won. … What if they didn’t play Notre Dame? They just played whoever and just had an easy win. They’d be ranked in the same spot, so what good did that do if that’s not rewarded?”
Strength of Schedule Adjustments: New Evaluation Criteria
The College Football Playoff selection committee has introduced changes to its evaluation process for this season, with a greater emphasis on strength of schedule. These adjustments came in response to criticisms from the SEC regarding last year’s inclusion of an 11-2 SMU team over a 9-3 Alabama or South Carolina.
“They’ve got the highest metrics of everybody, and they’re not No. 1,” Kiffin noted about Texas A&M. “So I don’t know.” The committee also introduced a new metric called record strength, which evaluates how teams performed against their schedule. These changes aim to ensure that a team’s performance is more accurately reflected in the rankings.
Current Standing and Future Prospects
Texas A&M currently stands at 9-0 on the season with six wins in SEC play, recently defeating then-No. 20 LSU and then-No. 22 Missouri. However, despite their strong record, they are not among the top two teams according to the rankings. The Buckeyes (Ohio State) and Hoosiers (Indiana) hold the top spots, respectively.
Both Ohio State and Texas A&M have upcoming season-ending matches against ranked opponents: Michigan for the Buckeyes and Texas for the Aggies.
These games will play a significant role in determining their final rankings as of December 4th. Meanwhile, Ole Miss remains at No. 6 in the SEC with a 9-1 record.
Conclusion
The debate over the College Football Playoff rankings continues to be a hot topic among coaches and fans alike. The changes made this year are intended to provide a more balanced view of each team’s performance, but they have also sparked further discussion on how these metrics should be applied.
As the season progresses, the rankings will undoubtedly shift based on performances in upcoming games. Fans and analysts will continue to analyze whether teams like Texas A&M deserve higher placement given their strength and results so far this season.
