Uproar Takes Over

By Jim Gazzolo

The first college football poll of the season that matters dropped Tuesday night, and panic spread across the country.

Screams of injustice rang out from all parts of the country as the College Football Playoff Committee released its first set of opinions, bias and all. 

Nowhere was the noise any louder than in Columbus, Ohio, or South Bend, Indiana.

Two of college football’s true blue-bloods and best teams this season seemed underrated by the committee. Notre Dame, despite ranking fourth in the latest Associated Press poll, got the No. 11 spot. 

That is the last time a non-power-conference team has taken the No. 12 spot in the 12-team playoff. 

If Irish fans think that is bad, Ohio State is currently out of the playoffs, one position behind Notre Dame. That puts the Buckeyes eight spots behind Indiana, which they beat earlier in the season.

The confusing thing is what those two teams represent.

Notre Dame has one loss: a Top 10 BYU game when a missed second came off the clock while they were one play away from victory. That’s a quality loss. 

But the Irish are being punished for a soft schedule. Yet Ohio State has two losses: one close at Texas, another good loss.

Indiana has played a much softer schedule, but has been rewarded. So what does the committee really value?

It appears to be two things: the SEC and Alabama.

First, the SEC. It appears every loss in the Southeastern Conference counts as a good one. Beat Arkansas, big win. Beat Vandy, big win. 

So the playing field is already tilted. 

Then there is Alabama. No team gets more respect in college football than Alabama. It’s as if the voters see the Tide as it once was, not as it is.

Of course, none of this matters. 

A host of big games this weekend can change the standings and arguments.

Alabama plays No. 14 LSU, with the loser taking its third loss of the season. Notre Dame hosts No. 1 Miami, and a victory will lift the Irish back in the race. 

So everybody gets worked up for a few days, then calms down. That is, until next Tuesday, when the second set of standings comes out.

That’s college football now, always changing.

If nothing else, it makes for good television and sports talk radio.