The current polls have Cincinnati ranked 3-4 and Notre Dame 13-14. The Cinci loyalists are ecstatic that “they’re in” the playoffs. The ‘Domers’ are convinced that if things play out, they’ll finish 11-1 and will be selected as a playoff semifinalist for the third year in the last four. This in spite of woefully weak schedules for both teams. And at this point in the season it’s an absolute certainty that higher-ranked teams with tougher schedules for the balance of the season will begin knocking each other off in regular season games conference championships. That would result in Cincy retaining its current high rank, and possibly permit Notre Dame to ‘back in’ to the playoffs.
I present below the strength of schedule rankings for the balance of the season, not counting any conference championship games. You don’t see either Notre Dame or Cincinnati on this list because ND’s remaining schedule is ranked 55th toughest and Cincinnati’s ranked 66th hardest. It’s highly likely that Cinci will finish undefeated and Notre Dame will finish 11-1 as their fans expect.
So after considering the SOS for the remaining games, and the fact that some highly-ranked teams will suffer losses in conference championship games, will the CFP Committee permit teams with weak schedules to ‘back into’ the playoffs? Or will they actually attempt to seed the four teams who are the strongest and playing the best at the end of the season into the playoff to determine the National Champion?
Here’s the current SOS ranking for the rest of the regular season.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0xMkc_-8f2Cph-fDRTODbtUKA
I present below the strength of schedule rankings for the balance of the season, not counting any conference championship games. You don’t see either Notre Dame or Cincinnati on this list because ND’s remaining schedule is ranked 55th toughest and Cincinnati’s ranked 66th hardest. It’s highly likely that Cinci will finish undefeated and Notre Dame will finish 11-1 as their fans expect.
So after considering the SOS for the remaining games, and the fact that some highly-ranked teams will suffer losses in conference championship games, will the CFP Committee permit teams with weak schedules to ‘back into’ the playoffs? Or will they actually attempt to seed the four teams who are the strongest and playing the best at the end of the season into the playoff to determine the National Champion?
Here’s the current SOS ranking for the rest of the regular season.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0xMkc_-8f2Cph-fDRTODbtUKA
