It was funny watching Twitter explode last night after the latest College Football Playoff Committee Rankings were revealed on Tuesday night.
Everyone went nuts when they saw Clemson move up to No. 2 in the new rankings. I’m not sure why they did. Clemson’s résumé speaks for itself.
Clemson moved up in the standings thanks to a national best 6-0 record against teams with a winning record. The Tigers also have a victory over a 5-5 Boston College team as well, giving the Tigers a national best 7-0 record against teams .500 or better. The Tigers are 8-0 against teams ranked in the top 35 of the Sagarin Computer poll.
Clemson has three road wins over teams ranked in the top 20 of the AP poll entering the game, also more than any other team in the nation. The Tigers also have a 14-6 victory over No. 6 Auburn, currently the best win of any of the top four teams.
So why is everyone so upset?
Because they all thought Miami should be No. 2 after the way the Hurricanes dispatched Notre Dame last Saturday. And that is the key here – they all thought Miami should be No. 2 so now they are mad because they were all wrong.
They act as if they know more than the committee, when it reality, they are living in the moment of what they just saw.
The committee got it right. They—the media and all the talking heads—got it wrong.
I get it, Miami’s undefeated. They have looked impressive in winning the last two week’s against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. However, the committee has awarded the Hurricanes (9-0) for those wins.
Since the CFP rankings debuted three weeks ago, Miami has gone from No. 10 to No. 3 in their rankings. However, CFP Committee Chairman Kirby Hocutt made it clear Clemson’s overall résumé is more impressive than Miami’s.
The Tigers went on the road and won at No. 19 NC State, with a championship on the line, and won by seven points. Clemson earlier went on the road and beat Virginia Tech by 14 points, and the game was not even that close. The Tigers also went on the road and beat Louisville by 26 points, while shutting down Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson in the process.
How many road wins does Miami have over good teams? That would be none. In fact, the Hurricanes don’t have a single win over a team with a winning record on the road and that will not change in its final two games either considering it faces Virginia at home and then goes on the road to play a Pitt team that is currently 4-6.
You want to know Miami’s road schedule this year: at Arkansas State (got canceled), at Duke (4-6), at Florida State (3-6), at North Carolina (2-8) and at Pitt (4-6).
As for Clemson, it has another tough road test on Nov. 24 when it faces rival South Carolina, who more than likely will be 8-3 when the Tigers get into Columbia. In case you are wondering, here is the Tigers road schedule: at Louisville (6-4), at Virginia Tech (7-3), at Syracuse (4-6), at NC State (7-3) and at South Carolina (7-3).
So all of those who are so upset about Clemson being ranked higher than Miami better get over it because if Clemson beats the Citadel, and it should, and then beats the Gamecocks, the Tigers will remain No. 2 heading into the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 2 in Charlotte.
Does it any of it really matter where Clemson and Miami are ranked right now? No it doesn’t. Who is the best will get decided on the football field in two weeks, and that is all that really matters.