November is officially here, and that means the College Football Playoff selection committee’s first rankings are about to drop. We’re talking Tuesday night, folks, the initial peek at what the committee’s actually thinking. While that thinking can flip faster than a pancake on a griddle, we’ve got years of seeing how these CFP committees evaluate teams. And our best guess for November 3rd? Boise State, sitting at 6-1, looks like the highest Group of Six team, ready to snag their second CFP berth in three years. Yeah, you read that right.
The Group of Six’s Dark Horse and SEC’s Wild West
Boise State is making moves, especially with James Madison’s two-game slide and the American Conference being a total mess right now. Their biggest threat on the horizon? Oregon State, for sure, but November always brings some chaos. Meanwhile, down in the SEC, things are about to get real interesting. Ole Miss, at 6-2, shouldn’t sweat their initial ranking. Why? Because next week’s game against Georgia is going to throw everything out the window. If they finish 4-0, they’re in the playoff, maybe even at 9-3 if the cards fall just right. Talk about high stakes!
Texas (6-2) is predicted to open ahead of Ole Miss, and that head-to-head win plus their W over Ohio State still carries serious weight. The Longhorns have massive road games coming up at Missouri and LSU over the next two weeks. They might even be able to swing one more loss this season, but let’s not forget they were 9-3 last year and still missed the CFP. Kentucky (7-1) is a prime example of a resume test. Are they one of the SEC’s best? Absolutely. But those wins against Oklahoma and Texas A&M? Not quite as shiny as they once were, and that Alabama game was a total blowout. Like Ole Miss fans, Kentucky faithful shouldn’t panic about Tuesday’s ranking. Their schedule against Tennessee, Florida, and Missouri in November will do the talking.
Buckeye Doubts and The Tide’s True Test
Can Ohio State (7-2) actually hang as a title contender? We’re not so sure. Asking a freshman quarterback to make his first career start at USC was always gonna be a tall order. But their defense? Giving up nearly seven yards a play to a USC team that had a shocking minus-17 rushing yards just the week before? That’s a huge question mark. Can this version of the Buckeyes go undefeated in November against Northwestern, Oregon, Nebraska, and Michigan? That’s a gauntlet.
Alabama (6-2) is projected to be ahead of Kentucky, mainly because of their head-to-head win. And it definitely helps that their two losses were to top 20 AP poll teams. It wouldn’t shock anyone if they ended up at #10, behind Kentucky, but a huge win over LSU in Week 10 would be a massive statement on just how good this team really is. Finally, we’ve got UCLA, cruising at 8-0. Bob Chesney’s turnaround there is simply incredible. Seriously, it’s probably the best coaching job in the country right now.
Get ready for Tuesday night, because those rankings are just the start of a wild November. Will Ole Miss make their move against Georgia? Can Texas conquer their road battles? And can Ohio State prove the doubters wrong? This is where the real playoff picture starts to emerge, and we are absolutely glued to it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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