There were five undefeated teams at the top of the first College Football Playoff rankings and all five stayed perfect in Week 10. At No. 5, Washington was the last of that bunch, but the Huskies made a statement, beating reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and USC in a shootout. With wins over Oregon and USC, will the Huskies finally crack the top four?
With wins over Notre Dame on the road and Penn State at home, Ohio State got the top spot in the first rankings. The Buckeyes, at least on offense, do not pass the eye test, so it’s clear that the committee is valuing big wins against good opponents, except when it comes to Washington.
For some reason, the Huskies are slotted behind Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, and Florida State. It feels like there is even momentum for Oregon, who the Huskies beat, to jump into that top group.
In Week 10, Washington beat USC using the run game, the one thing I thought was its fatal flaw. Meanwhile, Florida State struggled in a low-scoring game at Pitt, and Michigan continued to beat up on bad Big Ten teams. So, will Washington jump into the top four? And do the Huskies deserve to?
Washington should be in the top 4 of the Week 11 CFP rankings
I can’t comprehend why Washington has been so disrespected by the rankings all season. The Huskies are unbeaten and have certainly played a tougher schedule than Michigan and Florida State.
Sure, Washington didn’t look great in the two weeks after beating Oregon, but the whole team had the flu. Here’s how the Week 11 CFP rankings should look with Washington in the top four.
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Washington
- Florida State
The committee wants to have it both ways, but it can’t. If you want to use the eye test to rank these teams, then Michigan should be No. 1. Nobody has looked more dominant than the Wolverines, but if you’re ranking Ohio State No. 1, then it’s clear you value the strength of wins more. Washington doesn’t have the best win in the country, that belongs to Texas, but beating Oregon at home is probably No. 2. That’s certainly more impressive than beating Penn State.
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