The initial College Football Playoff rankings are out. See where Boise State landed
The season’s first College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday evening, and as expected, Boise State found itself among the field of 12.
The Broncos were ranked No. 12 in the 25-team rankings, slotting into the final playoff spot as the lowest-ranked conference champion. The rankings mean little right now, other than to show were teams stand entering the back half of the season. The final CFP rankings and playoff bracket will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 8, the weekend of all the league championship games.
Boise State’s only loss of the season came on a game-ending field goal against Oregon, which is ranked and seeded No. 1 in the CFP, and ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press and Coaches polls.
With Boise State already among the top 12, if the Broncos win out in the regular season and win the Mountain West title game, they are a shoo-in to make the expanded playoffs.
In the first iteration of the rankings and mock bracket, No. 12 Boise State would have an unfortunate matchup. Ohio State was No. 2 in the rankings, but would slot into the No. 5 seed because of how the playoffs are bracketed. The top four conference champions get byes, regardless of their ranking. Right now No. 1 Oregon is assumed as the Big Ten champ ahead of Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ only loss is to the Ducks.
But if the Broncos were to win out, there is a very good chance their ranking would rise. There’s also the distinct possibility that they could snag a first-round bye.
The No. 4 seed Tuesday night was BYU, which leads the Big 12. But the Cougars were ranked No. 9, just three spots ahead of Boise State. A single loss for the Cougars could see them slip below the Broncos, even if they win the Big 12. Other teams in the running in that conference already are below the Broncos: No. 17 Iowa State, No. 19 Kansas State and No. 20 Colorado.
Committee Chairman Warde Manuel, the athletic director at Michigan, said in a TV interview after the unveiling of the rankings that Boise State is “just an impressive team all around.”
“They go to No. 1 Oregon at the beginning of the season and lose by three. Ashton Jeanty, I think he’s rushed for more yards against Oregon than anybody else in the country, if I have that correct,” Manuel said. “They’re just an impressive team. Their quarterback is really developed. ... Impressive win at UNLV.”
Fans tune in and care about the rankings, and the weekly TV shows are done to drive interest around the playoff chase, but you don’t find too many coaches concerned right now. Boise State’s Spencer Danielson said he’d take note of the first wave and talk to the team briefly, but he’s not taking much stock until the end of the season.
“It doesn’t matter,” Danielson said Monday. “You lose a game, you’re out of there. Someone wins out, and all of a sudden, they’re in there when no one thought they were going to make it.
“I’m going to talk to our team about it, make sure they know, ‘Guys, whatever comes out Tuesday night, it doesn’t matter. What matters is how we prep in the practice we have Tuesday to earn the right to play our best on Saturday.”
The Broncos (7-1, 4-0) host Nevada (3-7, 0-4) this week in a Mountain West game at Albertsons Stadium. Kickoff is 6 p.m. on Fox. Boise State is nearly a four-touchdown favorite.
The CFP will release updated rankings every Tuesday. Here was the first iteration.
Oregon
Ohio State
Georgia
Miami
Texas
Penn State
Tennessee
Indiana
BYU
Notre Dame
Alabama
Boise State
SMU
Texas A&M
LSU
Ole Miss
Iowa State
Pittsburgh
Kansas State
Colorado
Washington State
Louisville
Clemson
Missouri
Army
If the playoffs started today, these would be the first-round matchups:
No. 12 Boise State at No. 2 Ohio State (12-5 seeds)
No. 8 Indiana at No. 7 Tennessee (9-8 seeds)
No. 11 Alabama at No. 5 Texas (11-6 seeds)
No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 6 Penn State (10-7 seeds)
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 6:30 PM.
