The College Football Playoff committee released another batch of rankings on Tuesday night, raising arguably as many questions as it answered. NBC Sports college football insider Nicole Auerbach joined Wednesday’s edition of GoJo and Golic to discuss her thoughts on the committee’s selections and which team can shake up things for the top 12.
Before discussing the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, Mike Golic Jr. couldn’t help but give Auerbach MAJOR props for the copious number of “For Dummies” books on her bookshelf, as she joined the show from an old office in her parents’ house. GoJo jokingly asked Nicole how much smarter she felt now that she was back home. Nicole laughed and explained that she was sitting in the same office where she had done all her high school homework, noting that it hadn’t changed. The collection of “For Dummies” books still on the shelves included titles like Italy, Scotland and Golf for Dummies, World War II for Dummies and Statistics for Dummies, which she admitted was a key resource during her AP Stats class senior year. She added that the shelves also featured early 2000s staples like Office XP for Dummies and Wireless Networking Services for Dummies. The office truly represents a true time capsule for the early internet era. Mike Golic Sr., meanwhile, recognized Auerbach’s collection as great parenting, to which Nicole responded how else would her parents have helped her with statistics if they didn’t know how to do it for dummies? And hey, GoJo says maybe Nicole can mail some of those “For Dummies” books to Senior to help with his technology struggles.
Moving on to the latest batch of CFP rankings, GoJo said Indiana‘s drop from No. 5 to No. 10 was no surprise given their 38-15 drubbing at the hands of Ohio State.
When asked if anything surprised her about the Hoosiers’ drop, Nicole said she thought it was pretty fair. Nicole explained watching Indiana play Ohio State was such an interesting experience, given the conversations about Indiana hanging around before the game, how they were playing and what the final score would be, down to the extra points. Then BOOM, everything shifted — 20 minutes later Ole Miss lost and by the end of the night Alabama got crushed by Oklahoma, dramatically shifting the College Football Playoff outlook.
Although Indiana took a loss, it is not all doom and gloom for the Hoosiers. Looking at how things played out, Nicole thought Indiana would end up on the positive side of the bubble, and that’s exactly where they are. The Hoosiers are near the cut line and may need some things to go their way, but they’re in a solid spot. She also added they also didn’t take a big hit for losing to a team the committee ranks as the second-best in the country.
A team that did surprise Auerbach was the Clemson Tigers. Nicole suggested the selection committee might use them as a buffer between the bracket and the three-loss SEC teams. She added that it feels like the committee is treating these losses as deal-breakers. A one-sided loss to a 5-5 Oklahoma team makes it tough to argue for Alabama’s inclusion in the top 12, even though their resume features a win over Georgia and strong victories against LSU and South Carolina.
Clemson, she contended, is still hovering near the bubble but on the wrong side. They’re a recognizable brand, and while their resume doesn’t stand out, having them in that position makes it look like they’re more competitive than they are. It feels like the committee keeps Clemson and Alabama close to the cut line as a safety net for chaos. She expressed that she gets that’s how the bubble works, but the bracket seems more solid as it stands with this week’s rankings. If Clemson beats South Carolina and manages to leapfrog someone, it would feel like the committee is giving these legacy programs — ones that have shaped the playoff era — another chance, even if their current performances don’t fully support it.
What was @NicoleAuerbach's biggest takeaway from the latest CFP rankings?
"One thing I did think was surprising was Clemson. I feel like the selection committee is using them as a buffer between the bracket & the three-loss SEC teams."@mikegolicjr | @golic | @GoJoandGolic pic.twitter.com/41o8UbcTq5
— DraftKings Network (@DKNetwork) November 27, 2024
With so much talk surrounding the impact that conference championship games will have on the College Football Playoff outlook, Senior asked Nicole the MILLION DOLLAR question: If everything goes as planned and Oregon faces Ohio State, Georgia takes on Texas, and SMU plays Miami, with SMU being the lowest ranked team at nine, would any of the losing teams end up getting knocked out of the playoffs? Nicole highlighted the significant pressure the committee faces from fans, coaches and league commissioners when evaluating teams after conference championship losses. She added every time CFP Executive Rich Clark addresses this — or when she went through the mock selection committee process earlier this fall — they say hey, we don’t think they are going to get penalized for playing an extra game because they are going to get compared to teams not playing that week. But, she says we can’t know for sure until we see how it plays out. She questioned whether the committee would treat a loss in the SEC or Big Ten championship games like one in the ACC or Big 12 championship games. She said that one could argue these losses reveal more about the teams. There are so many unknowns about how the committee will handle it.
Nicole added that she feels confident in how things will shake out for the Big Ten and SEC. For example, if Georgia’s third loss happens in the SEC Championship, their strong schedule makes it easier to justify their standing. However, she acknowledged the ACC is in a more vulnerable position. She added this is the best chance they’ve had all season to get multiple teams into the playoff, but what happens if SMU, already ranked near the bottom of the top 12, loses? Could they be overtaken by someone else? She also pointed out Clemson’s unique position, expressing that Clemson is facing South Carolina in a top-15 matchup, and it seems like the committee could be positioning them to jump ahead of the ACC title game loser, even without participating. Nicole emphasized that the committee’s handling of conference title game losers could ignite even more frustration. Fans have already been fired up over the rankings in recent weeks, but these scenarios could spark a whole new level of outrage from the college football internet.
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Thanksgiving Day NFL Preview, CFP Rankings Reaction and Food Debates: Turkey vs. Ham
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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