CFP Poll Week 3: What It Means For The Camping World Bowl
The College Football Playoff released its latest rankings Tuesday night, giving Florida Citrus Sports its best chance yet to project which teams could be visiting Orlando for the Camping World Bowl on Dec. 28 at Camping World Stadium.
After a bonkers weekend that saw No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame both fall on the road, the CFP poll has a decidedly different look than it did in its first and second iterations this season. Further, the current inclusion of two ACC teams — Miami and Clemson — and no Big Ten teams among the top four could potentially have a significant impact on the programs available for selection by the Camping World Bowl in a few weeks.
Of course, the Hurricanes and Tigers have each already clinched their respective divisions and will be meeting in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 2 regardless of what happens during the final two weeks of the regular season. And while it’s not impossible that the ACC champ and runner up could both compete in the playoff, the assumption by most is that the loser of that game will find itself on the outside of the top four looking in.
There are other factors that could drastically change the look of the final CFP poll down the stretch, as well — not the least of which are additional conference championship games looming in the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. But as long as we can all agree that we’re breaking things down based on the Nov. 14 rankings in a vacuum, let’s take a look at what they mean for the Camping World Bowl game:
For starters, the CFP can’t match two teams from the same conference in a semifinal, so No. 1 Alabama would face No. 3 Miami in the Sugar Bowl, while No. 2 Clemson and No. 4 Oklahoma would meet in the Rose Bowl.
With the Rose and Sugar Bowls both hosting semis, most of the New Year’s Six conference tie-ins would no longer need to be satisfied, however No. 19 NC State — the highest-ranked non-CFP team from the ACC — would be assigned to the Orange Bowl due to the game’s contract with the conference. Their opponent would be the highest-ranked non-CFP team among the Big Ten, SEC and Notre Dame, which, in this case, would be No. 5 Wisconsin.
From there, it’s up to the CFP committee to decide who goes where, but at the very least, we know which teams would likely be involved.
As of Tuesday, No. 15 UCF is the highest-ranked Group of 5 team and would likely be headed to either the Fiesta or Peach Bowl as a result. The final five New Year’s Six spots would then be divvied up among No. 6 Auburn, No. 7 Georgia, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 9 Ohio State and the Pac-12 champ, which we’ll say is No. 11 USC, which has already clinched the Pac-12 South.
What’s that mean for us?
Well, when a Big Ten team goes to the Orange Bowl, the Citrus Bowl replaces its traditional Big Ten pick with the top non-Playoff selection from the ACC. When that happens — as it did last year — Florida Citrus Sports ends up with the top two non-CFP picks from the ACC and can distribute them to the Citrus Bowl and Camping World Bowl as it pleases.
There are no ACC teams ranked behind NC State in the current CFP Top 25, but if we use the AP poll as a reference, Virginia Tech (the top team in the “others receiving votes” category) and Georgia Tech (tied for fifth in the others receiving votes category) would be the top two teams in line to represent the ACC.
The Hokies are actually coming off a loss to the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta in Week 11, and have Pittsburgh and Virginia left on their schedule. Georgia Tech visits Duke this weekend before wrapping up the regular season at home against rival Georgia.
📽 WATCH: Cinematic highlights from yesterday's thriller in Ames #okstate #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/iODuGc4gB0
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) November 12, 2017
As for the ACC’s opponent? Based on the above projections, both No. 12 TCU and No. 13 Oklahoma State would be available out of the Big 12, and the Camping World Bowl has the second non-CFP pick out of the conference behind the Alamo Bowl. Additionally, West Virginia is not ranked in the latest CFP poll but is 24th in the latest AP poll and is one of multiple other Big 12 programs still within earshot.
And, as always, there are several remaining games that could potentially turn the CFP poll — and, in turn, the Camping World Bowl selection process — on its head.
In one of many examples, if Wisconsin or another Big Ten team gets into the top four, it could open the door for an SEC team or Notre Dame to play in the Orange Bowl, which would lead to the Citrus Bowl drawing from the Big Ten instead of the ACC. And there are plenty of other minor changes to the poll that could have major implications with the Camping World Bowl matchup — including a potential Oklahoma-TCU rematch in the Big 12 championship.
So before we get too carried away, it’s probably best to just hang tight and see what happens. And if you’re looking for a couple important games to keep an eye on this weekend, start with Wisconsin-Michigan and Wake Forest-NC State.
The next round of CFP rankings will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 21. For a look at what members of the media are currently projecting for the Camping World Bowl, check out our weekly projections roundup.