By Beau Kilpatrick–
The Louisville Cardinals are no longer the fifth football team in the country. The College Football Playoff Committee’s debut rankings bumped the Cardinals to No. 7.
The four-team playoff system remains biased towards the SEC and Big 10. The AP and Coaches Polls are meaningless at this point in the season. The new top 10 rearranged teams without a game being played between the old polls and the new.
The new top 10:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Michigan
4. Texas A&M
5. Washington
6. Ohio State
7. Louisville
8. Wisconsin
9. Auburn
10. Nebraska
The committee said Louisville has not been beating opponents as impressively as they were, hence the drop. Texas A&M and Ohio State jumped Louisville, as the argument does not apply to them. The committee said harder schedules are why the teams jumped U of L. The standard held to Louisville is not fairly applied across the board.
Texas A&M lost to Alabama by 19 points in their only loss. They have played four games decided by less than two touchdowns. A&M’s close games matter less in the eyes of the committee than Louisville’s do. The Aggies’ three possession loss to Alabama looks better to the committee than Louisville’s nail-biting six-point loss at Clemson.
Ohio State also recently played multiple close games. Once again, that doesn’t seem to matter as much. The Buckeyes also have one loss, which was to then-unranked Penn State.
However, Washington may have received the brunt of all bad news. The undefeated Huskies have looked impressive all season. They have beaten two ranked teams and they have played well on the road. The committee’s bias unjustly pushed the Huskies out of the top four.
For the Cardinals to make the College Football Playoffs, they must win every remaining game, and win big. Winning alone will not be enough for their admission. They will need the help of some big losses to those ahead of them.
Photo by Dalton Ray / The Louisville Cardinal
