NCAA College Football is not the best at settling it all on the field of play. There’s no easy answer to this conundrum as there are 129 programs that compete in Division I College Football.
Even under the best of circumstances, there’s no logistical way for enough of them to compete against each other to gain a solid comparison of the nation’s top teams.
There’s also the prospect of waiting until November for the College Football Playoffs Selection Committee to release their first set of rankings for the season.
Last Tuesday, the CFP Top 25 was unveiled, and two teams, in particular, find themselves outside of the final four despite the odds that have been posted at USA football betting sites suggesting otherwise.
Again, we acknowledge that the NCAA recognizes that there is an issue, but it is difficult to take an athletic governing body seriously that leaves their fanbase in complete mystery to their postseason rankings until there are only a few weeks remaining in the season.
The Oklahoma Sooners are undefeated in a Power Five Conference and are poised to become the Big 12 Champions with an unblemished record.
According to the current CFP rankings, the Sooners could become the first undefeated team from a Power Five Conference to not be included among the final four NCAA Football playoff teams.
The SEC is threatening to place two teams into the CFP if Georgia loses in the title game, and Oklahoma already realizes the benefit of playing in the Southeastern Conference.
The Sooners accepted an invitation to join the SEC in 2025 where programs can lose a game and still earn favor from the Selection Committee and the oddsmakers at college football betting sites in the USA.
In 2021, the University of Oklahoma has to not only finish without a loss, but they also have to hope for several other teams to lose in order for their CFP path to clear up.
Another team whose chances for the postseason took a hit are the Cincinnati Bearcats. Early on, it appeared that their strength-of-schedule would be just enough to make the final four at CFP betting sites, but that is no longer the case now that the rankings have debuted.
We’re not sure of what to make about the Bearcats’ overall chances of making it into the 2021-22 College Football Playoffs bracket because their destiny is entirely out of their hands.
For now, Cincinnati and Oklahoma must simply continue to win and take care of what they can. They can worry about the Selection Committee’s opinions once they’ve taken care of business in 2021-22.
The NCAA tabled discussions of expanding the playoffs to a 12-team format, and this glut of superior college football teams this season should aid in guiding their decision.
First CFP Rankings Of The 2021-22 NCAA Football Season
1 Georgia 8-0
2 Alabama 7-1
3 Michigan State 8-0
4 Oregon 7-1
5 Ohio State 7-1
6 Cincinnati 8-0
7 Michigan 7-1
8 Oklahoma 9-0
9 Wake Forest 8-0
10 Notre Dame 7-1