The Pac-12 placed six teams in the initial College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday afternoon, but undefeated Washington did not make the top four.
The Huskies (8-0) were ranked No. 5, behind four undefeated teams: Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and Florida State.
CFP selection committee chair Boo Corrigan (from North Carolina State) told ESPN that Washington’s recent close calls against Arizona State and Stanford were “a little bit of a concern.” The Cardinal and Sun Devils have a combined record of 4-12, but both pushed the Huskies to the wire.
“The top four were in a group together,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said during a teleconference with reporters. “Washington, because of their play in the last couple of weeks, was a notch behind that group.”
Oregon (7-1) was slotted sixth, just behind UW, as the highest-ranked one-loss team. The Huskies won the head-to-head matchup 36-33 in Seattle a few weeks ago.
“You can make an argument that (the Ducks) are playing as well as anybody in college football right now,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said.
The Pac-12’s other ranked teams were in the bottom half of the committee’s top 25, with No. 16 Oregon State followed by No. 18 Utah, No. 19 UCLA and No. 20 USC.
Oregon State owns head-to-head wins over both Utah and UCLA. (The Beavers don’t play USC this season.)
The SEC also placed six teams in the top 25; the Big 12 had five and the Big Ten three.
The Michigan sign-stealing scandal was a topic of discussion, not only on ESPN’s studio show but also during a media teleconference with Corrigan and CFP executive director Bill Hancock.
In particular, the media questions focused on:
— The presence of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel on the selection committee.
— The legitimacy of Michigan’s performance this far.
Corrigan and Hancock dismissed any concerns and said the scandal wasn’t addressed by the committee.
“These are allegations, not facts,” Hancock said. “All the committee does is evaluate what happens on the field.”
Said Corrigan: “It’s an NCAA issue, not a CFP issue.”
The committee rankings will be released each Tuesday through November, but the only edition that matters will be unveiled on the first Sunday of December.
The Pac-12 hasn’t sent a team to the playoff since Washington in 2016.
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