If there's one thing we know with absolute certainty, it's that the College Football Playoff rankings will largely sort themselves out by the time conference championship games are played. Michigan and Ohio State will have played, as will Georgia and Alabama along with (likely) Oregon and Washington in a rematch. That will help to sort out the Top 4 in the CFP rankings that will vie for a national championship.
But for now, the CFP Selection Committee has tough decisions to make. Perhaps none might be tougher than what they had to do coming into the reveal of their Week 12 Top 25 rankings, though.
Ohio State had been ranked No. 1 by the committee in the first two sets of CFP rankings, bolstered by wins over Notre Dame and Penn State. However, over the past two weeks, the Georgia Bulldogs have made their case on the field with a pair of Top 15 wins of their own against Missouri and Ole Miss. Now they have as good of a case as the Buckeyes.
Further complicating the Week 12 rankings is the fact that Michigan finally played a Top 25 opponent and they worked Penn State far more handily than the 24-15 final score indicated. The Wolverines might also be threatening to leap Ohio State if you factor in the eye test.
So where did that leave the CFP Selection Committee on Tuesday night? Let's take a look at the Week 12 College Football Playoff rankings before seeing what the media had to say on the matter.
College Football Playoff Rankings for Week 12: Top 25 teams from Selection Committee
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Michigan Wolverines
- Florida State Seminoles
- Washington Huskies
- Oregon Ducks
- Texas Longhorns
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Missouri Tigers
- Louisville Cardinals
- Oregon State Beavers
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Oklahoma Sooners
- LSU Tigers
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Arizona Wildcats
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Utah Utes
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Tulane Green Wave
- Kansas Jayhawks
With Missouri moving into the Top 10 after its win over Tennessee, that further strengthened Georgia's resumé and allowed them to climb into the No. 1 spot. It is worth saying, though, that the back end of the Top 25 is not a fun place to be right now, but also, the committee just seems to be cycling through teams instead of dropping them out with Utah, Oklahoma State and Kansas staying ranked after losses this past week.
CFB media reacts to shocking Week 12 CFP rankings
Let's take a look at how the members of the college football media reacted to the new Top 25 with a new team at No. 1.
Almost no one seemed to have a gripe with Georgia leaping ahead of Ohio State in the rankings. However, there was some pushback to the committee once again ranking Florida State over Washington at the crucial No. 4 and 5 spots. The Huskies have more signature wins than the Seminoles, but they are still giving FSU the nod. You have to wonder what it would take to change that.