The College Football Playoff selection committee followed up its reasonable first rankings of the season with a questionable second set that has college football fans trying to figure out what exactly they discuss at these meetings. Indiana was dropped from first-round bye to the bottom half of the field; and somehow Ohio State and LSU are still ranked as three-loss teams despite middling resumes. It’s hard to make sense of what the committee saw, so here’s a look at all the glaring mistakes the committee made in its second rankings release.

Dropping idle Indiana five spots

I understand why the College Football Playoff selection committee dropped Indiana from No. 4 to No. 9, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it. Indiana’s best win right now is probably Northwestern, and the Hoosiers lost to the only ranked team on their schedule, Ohio State. The Hoosiers didn’t look great against Minnesota two weeks ago, so after some big moves in Week 10, they had to drop. 

That said, if that’s the rationale, why were the Hoosiers ranked so high to begin with? If they beat USC this week, it won’t be nearly as impressive, and they’re still in contention for the Big Ten championship game, so punishing them just didn’t make sense. They don’t have a great resume, but with all the moves, they shouldn’t have been punished that harshly for simply not having a game. If they lose this week, well, then this point will be moot.

Keeping Ohio State, LSU ranked with 3 losses each

Ohio State can’t get into the Big Ten championship game at this point — unless something unhinged happens — and are pretty much out of the College Football Playoff race. Ohio State’s best win is against Indiana, which dropped in this week’s ranking, making that win less impressive. They lost to previously unranked USC and fell to Oregon, which was near the bottom of the initial CFP rankings. Why are the Buckeyes still receiving the benefit of the doubt? If you look at their resume — which includes ranked losses to Oregon and Texas, and just one ranked win — any other team with it probably isn’t ranked. 

As for LSU, I understand the selection committee’s rationale in that the Tigers still have two top-10 ranked opponents, and winning both would solidify them in the CFP. But the ranking should be about what they’ve done to this point, not what they hypothetically could do. LSU’s best win is either Mississippi State or Texas A&M. Both were ranked at the time of the wins. Unfortunately, both are in the depths of the SEC standings, so what exactly is boosting the Tigers’ resume? 

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Keeping BYU in the 12-team CFP field after second loss

BYU’s win over Notre Dame is a solid win, especially with the Fighting Irish surging up the rankings after taking down then-No. 1 Miami. That said, the Cougars have to do something to boost their resume and not just rely on one win. BYU has a bad loss to UCF and no other impressive wins. The loss to Utah is respectable, though it should still be treated as a loss. If BYU had better wins, I would understand keeping them in the CFP field. But just like Notre Dame needed a win last week to prove they deserve to get in, BYU did too, in my opinion. 

Based on the latest rankings, Indiana was punished more for not playing than BYU was for losing, and that is flawed logic. BYU should, at minimum, need to win the Big 12 to get in. Now, they can simply reach the Big 12 title game, appease the CFP selection committee and potentially boot out a team with a stronger resume in the process.

Moving Texas Tech, Houston into the CFP bubble race feels forced

What the CFP selection committee is doing to the Big 12 right now is precisely why college football fans are vehemently against a 24-team playoff. Texas Tech and Houston both have proven they’re not among college football’s best. Yet they’re still hanging around the CFP field with questionable rankings. Texas Tech doesn’t have an impressive win all season but does have a terrible loss to a 5-4 Cincinnati team. Houston’s resume is, somehow, worse. 

The Cougars’ best win this season is Oklahoma State, which made its 2026 CFP rankings debut this week. Houston has two losses — Texas Tech and Utah — and are somehow on the cusp of being in the CFP field. The Big 12 has proven it’s not one of college football’s strongest conferences. The committee needs to stop giving the Big 12 the benefit of the doubt and punish them for weak wins and terrible losses, just like everybody else.