The College Football Playoff committee unveiled its weekly rankings update on Tuesday, revealing a new top four ahead of championship weekend.
Michigan’s win over Ohio State knocked the Buckeyes from No. 2 to No. 5, opening up a spot for USC to rise to No. 4. Georgia remained at No. 1 while unbeaten TCU stayed at No. 3, with all four current playoff teams set to play in their respective conference championship games this weekend.
The new rankings set off a lively discussion on social media, which largely centered around the idea that the current top four should be locked in regardless of this weekend’s results. None of the teams ranked from No. 5 to No. 8 (in order: Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee and Penn State) qualified for their conference’s title games, while No. 9 Clemson has two losses and No. 10 Kansas State has three.
That led many to assert that the playoff field should already be set, as the top four shouldn’t be punished for playing an extra game compared to the teams who are currently best positioned to replace them. This is particularly true of the top three—who are all unbeaten—while USC is the only team in the top four with one loss.
Should Ohio State or Alabama jump into the playoff field if there are any upsets this weekend? Here’s a sample of some takes from both sides of the argument, along with more playoff reactions.
