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RK PLAYER POS HOMETOWN HT WT STARS GRADE SCHOOL

1 QB-PP Los Alamitos, CA
Los Alamitos High School 6’3” 185 93

2 QB-PP Detroit, MI
Martin Luther King High School 6’3” 210 93

3 QB-DT Denton, TX
John H. Guyer High School 6’1” 195 93

4 DT Alabaster, AL
Thompson High School 6’3” 275 93

5 QB-PP New Orleans, LA
Isidore Newman School 6’3” 204 93

6 OT Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’6” 325 92

7 WR Las Vegas, NV
Bishop Gorman High School 5’10” 172 92

8 DT Katy, TX
Patricia E. Paetow High School 6’4” 270 92

9 OLB Montgomery, AL
Carver High School 6’3” 230 91

10 OT Runnells, IA
Southeast Polk High School 6’6” 315 91

11 S Hoschton, GA
Mill Creek High School 6’0” 190 91

12 DE Tampa, FL
Berkeley Prep 6’5” 245 91

13 WR Los Alamitos, CA
Los Alamitos High School 5’11” 180 90

14 CB Lakeland, FL
Lakeland High School 6’2” 165 90

15 OLB Tallahassee, FL
Lincoln High School 6’2” 215 90

16 ILB Denton, TX
Billy Ryan High School 6’2” 230 90

17 S Denton, TX
John H. Guyer High School 6’0” 195 90

18 OLB Raleigh, MS
Raleigh High School 6’3” 200 90

19 CB Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’2” 185 90

20 DE North Kansas City, MO
North Kansas City High School 6’5” 230 90

21 OG Braintree, MA
Thayer Academy 6’5” 300 90

22 RB Lehigh Acres, FL
Lehigh Senior High School 5’11” 195 89

23 QB-PP Downey, CA
Warren High School 6’6” 195 89

24 RB Buford, GA
Buford High School 5’10” 185 89

25 DT Montgomery, AL
Carver High School 6’3” 300 88

26 WR DeSoto, TX
DeSoto High School 6’0” 175 88

27 S Lynn, MA
Saint John’s Prep 6’0” 200 87

28 WR Fort Lauderdale, FL
Stranahan High School 6’3” 200 87

29 QB-PP Zachary, LA
Zachary High School 6’4” 225 87

30 RB Orlando, FL
Edgewater High School 6’2” 220 87

31 QB-DT Pittsburg, CA
Pittsburg High School 6’4” 185 87

32 CB Arlington, TX
James Martin High School 6’1” 185 87

33 DE Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’4” 240 87

34 WR Plantation, FL
American Heritage High School 6’0” 190 87

35 DE Venice, FL
Venice High School 6’4” 235 87

36 QB-PP Snellville, GA
Brookwood High School 6’2” 210 87

37 CB Phenix City, AL
Central High School 6’2” 180 87

38 WR Atherton, CA
Menlo High School 6’3” 215 87

39 ATH Washington, DC
Archbishop Carroll High School 6’5” 225 87

40 TE-H Phoenix, AZ
Pinnacle High School 6’6” 235 86

41 OLB Tampa, FL
Jesuit High School 6’1” 210 86

42 QB-PP Birmingham, AL
Briarwood Christian School 6’3” 205 86

43 CB Cincinnati, OH
Winton Woods High School 6’0” 180 86

44 RB El Campo, TX
El Campo High School 5’11” 180 86

45 WR Houston, TX
Langham Creek High 5’11” 180 86

46 CB Florence, AL
Florence High School 6’2” 170 86

47 WR Longview, TX
Longview High School 6’2” 185 86

48 ATH Mustang, OK
Mustang High School 6’3” 185 86

49 DE Baltimore, MD
St. Frances Academy 6’4” 255 86

50 DT Tyler, TX
Tyler Legacy High School 6’4” 245 86

51 OT Monroe, LA
Neville High School 6’5” 300 86

52 CB Dallas, TX
South Oak Cliff High 5’11” 170 86

53 DT Gardendale, AL
Gardendale High School 6’5” 280 86

54 S Venice, FL
Venice High School 6’0” 190 86

55 OG Lee’s Summit, MO
Lee’s Summit North High School 6’5” 310 86

56 OT Mount Pleasant, SC
Oceanside Collegiate Academy 6’7” 285 86

57 S New Iberia, LA
Westgate High School 6’2” 185 86

58 OG Wyomissing, PA
Wyomissing High School 6’4” 285 86

59 OLB Baton Rouge, LA
University Laboratory School 6’1” 210 86

60 WR Round Rock, TX
Stony Point High School 6’2” 175 86

61 OT Ramsey, NJ
Don Bosco High School 6’5” 290 86

62 WR Miami, FL
Gulliver Prep High School 6’1” 170 86

63 ATH La Grange, TX
La Grange High School 5’11” 185 86

64 OT Findlay, OH
Findlay High School 6’5” 260 86

65 DE Bellflower, CA
St. John Bosco High School 6’5” 265 86

66 OT Rock Island, IL
Alleman High School 6’6” 305 86

67 WR Rolesville, NC
Rolesville High School 6’2” 185 86

68 DT Oradell, NJ
Bergen Catholic High 6’6” 325 86

69 DE Miami, FL
Miami Central High School 6’3” 255 86

70 CB Seminole, FL
Osceola High School 6’1” 180 86

71 DT Warner Robins, GA
Warner Robins High School 6’5” 270 86

72 DE Eufaula, AL
Eufaula High School 6’3” 220 86

73 WR Baton Rouge, LA
Catholic High School 6’4” 185 85

74 OLB Orlando, FL
Jones High School 6’2” 235 85

75 WR Bellflower, CA
St. John Bosco High School 5’11” 190 85

76 OG Ashburn, VA
Broad Run High School 6’5” 280 85

77 QB-DT Maize, KS
Maize High School 6’2” 175 85

78 OLB Merrillville, IN
Andrean High School 6’2” 215 85

79 S Shiner, TX
Shiner High School 6’1” 175 85

80 WR Phenix City, AL
Central High School 5’11” 180 85

81 OG Odessa, TX
Permian High School 6’4” 300 85

82 CB Quincy, FL
Robert F. Munroe High School 6’1” 190 85

83 TE-H Bixby, OK
Bixby High School 6’3” 215 85

84 DE Platte City, MO
Platte County R-III High School 6’5” 210 85

85 TE-H Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’5” 230 85

86 DE Phenix City, AL
Central High School 6’4” 255 85

87 DT Hyattsville, MD
DeMatha Catholic High School 6’6” 260 85

88 OT Alabaster, AL
Thompson High School 6’7” 310 85

89 DE Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’5” 240 85

90 DT Seminole, FL
Osceola High School 6’3” 300 84

91 CB Tampa, FL
Wharton High School 6’1” 187 84

92 WR Orlando, FL
Boone High School 6’2” 180 84

93 RB Saint Louis, MO
Christian Brothers College High School 6’1” 195 84

94 S Alabaster, AL
Thompson High School 6’2” 190 84

95 WR Flower Mound, TX
Marcus High School 6’3” 175 84

96 OG Orange Park, FL
Orange Park High School 6’4” 295 84

97 ILB Barnesville, GA
Lamar County High School 6’1” 220 84

98 ATH Houston, TX
Dwight D. Eisenhower High School 5’10” 170 84

99 TE-Y Fairburn, GA
Langston Hughes High School 6’5” 230 84

100 CB Gardena, CA
Junipero Serra High School 5’11” 175 84

101 DE Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’4” 250 84

102 OLB Murfreesboro, TN
Riverdale High School 6’5” 205 84

103 WR Ridgeland, MS
Ridgeland High School 6’3” 190 84

104 S Fort Lauderdale, FL
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School 5’11” 180 84

105 CB Melbourne, FL
Eau Gallie High School 5’11” 180 84

106 DE Norman, OK
Community Christian School 6’4” 215 84

107 S Fulton, MS
Itawamba Agri High School 6’0” 200 84

108 OT Fairburn, GA
Langston Hughes High School 6’7” 290 84

109 ATH Houston, TX
The Kinkaid School 5’11” 170 84

110 OT Tuscaloosa, AL
Northridge High School 6’7” 300 84

111 QB-PP Ankeny, IA
Ankeny High School 6’6” 230 84

112 CB Plantation, FL
American Heritage High School 6’2” 185 84

113 OLB Lehi, UT
Skyridge High School 6’4” 220 84

114 DE Springdale, MD
C. H. Flowers High School 6’6” 230 84

115 OLB Crandall, TX
Crandall High School 6’1” 210 84

116 RB Dexter, MI
Dexter High School 5’11” 180 84

117 TE-Y Folsom, CA
Folsom High School 6’5” 235 84

118 DE Colleyville, TX
Covenant Christian Academy 6’5” 260 84

119 WR Heathsville, VA
Northumberland High School 6’2” 225 84

120 OT Windsor, CT
Loomis Chaffee School 6’6” 310 84

121 DE New Hope, MN
Robbinsdale Cooper High School 6’4” 245 84

122 TE-H Austin, TX
Westlake High School 6’2” 220 84

123 OT East Saint Louis, IL
East St. Louis High School 6’7” 355 84

124 OLB Tampa, FL
Tampa Catholic High School 6’0” 200 84

125 DE Seminole, FL
Osceola High School 6’5” 270 84

126 OT Clearwater, FL
Clearwater Academy 6’7” 300 84

127 TE-Y Saint Louis, MO
De Smet Jesuit High School 6’4” 250 84

128 OLB Hoschton, GA
Mill Creek High School 6’3” 200 84

129 ATH Dallas, TX
South Oak Cliff High 5’11” 170 84

130 OLB Fairfax, VA
Fairfax High School 6’2” 205 84

131 OT Austin, TX
Westlake High School 6’4” 310 83

132 OLB Teague, TX
Teague High School 6’2” 225 83

133 DT Camden, SC
Camden High School 6’5” 325 83

134 OG Douglasville, GA
South Paulding High School 6’4” 300 83

135 OT Roebuck, SC
Dorman High School 6’4” 305 83

136 TE-Y Thompson’s Station, TN
Independence High School 6’5” 225 83

137 OT McDonough, GA
Eagles Landing Christian Academy 6’7” 335 83

138 CB Long Beach, CA
Long Beach Polytechnic High School 6’0” 175 83

139 S West Orange, FL
West Orange High School 6’2” 205 83

140 RB Derby, KS
Derby Senior High School 5’8” 155 83

141 S Denton, TX
John H. Guyer High School 6’0” 175 83

142 WR Miami, FL
Miami Edison Senior High School 5’9” 170 83

143 DE Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’3” 250 83

144 WR Thomasville, GA
Thomas County Central High School 5’11” 175 83

145 CB Saint Louis, MO
De Smet Jesuit High School 6’0” 175 83

146 ATH Tampa, FL
Gaither High School 5’11” 170 83

147 ILB Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’2” 225 83

148 RB Baton Rouge, LA
Liberty Magnet High School 5’11” 200 83

149 CB Waxahachie, TX
Waxahachie High School 5’11” 180 83

150 QB-PP Cornelius, NC
Hough High School 6’3” 225 83

151 ATH Idaho Falls, ID
Skyline High School 6’4” 225 83

152 DT Jacksonville, FL
Westside High School 6’4” 300 83

153 DE American Fork, UT
American Fork High School 6’4” 240 83

154 CB Miami, FL
Gulliver Prep High School 6’2” 175 83

155 ATH Lincoln, NE
Lincoln East High School 6’5” 200 83

156 DE Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Santa Margarita Catholic High School 6’7” 255 83

157 WR Lakeland, FL
Lakeland High School 6’4” 190 83

158 CB Kankakee, IL
Kankakee High School 6’2” 170 83

159 WR Raleigh, NC
Millbrook High School 6’3” 200 83

160 TE-H Santa Rosa Beach, FL
South Walton High School 6’6” 210 83

161 CB Bellflower, CA
St. John Bosco High School 6’2” 185 82

162 WR Milton, FL
Milton High School 6’3” 205 82

163 DE Hickory, NC
Hickory High School 6’4” 230 82

164 DT Saint James, MD
St. James School 6’4” 275 82

165 RB Picayune, MS
Picayune Memorial High School 6’1” 215 82

166 DE Concord, NC
J. M. Robinson High School 6’5” 260 82

167 ILB Many, LA
Many High School 6’2” 205 82

168 CB Roswell, GA
Roswell High School 5’11” 165 82

169 OG West Bloomfield, MI
West Bloomfield High School 6’3” 280 82

170 DE Detroit, MI
Cass Technical High School 6’3” 245 82

171 DT Chandler, AZ
Chandler High School 6’4” 295 82

172 RB Farmerville, LA
Union Parish High School 5’8” 180 82

173 CB Coppell, TX
Coppell High School 6’1” 190 82

174 OG Huber Heights, OH
Wayne High School 6’3” 280 82

175 QB-DT Nashville, TN
Montgomery Bell Academy 6’1” 170 82

176 WR Converse, TX
Judson High School 5’11” 170 82

177 OLB Jacksonville, FL
Andrew Jackson High School 6’3” 215 82

178 ATH Waco, TX
Connally High School 6’2” 190 82

179 DE Ellenwood, GA
Cedar Grove High School 6’6” 210 82

180 QB-DT Hendersonville, TN
Pope John Paul II High School 6’2” 205 82

181 CB Ellenwood, GA
Cedar Grove High School 5’11” 170 82

182 DE Austin, TX
Westlake High School 6’5” 230 82

183 OLB Durham, NC
Southern Durham High School 6’4” 215 82

184 ATH Temple, TX
Temple High School 6’0” 185 82

185 ILB Smyrna, TN
Smyrna High School 6’1” 215 82

186 CB Jacksonville, FL
Bartram Trail High School 6’0” 165 82

187 ATH Dublin, GA
Trinity Christian School 6’0” 180 82

188 CB Chandler, AZ
Basha High School 5’10” 175 82

189 ILB Fayetteville, GA
Whitewater High School 6’1” 220 82

190 OT Garland, TX
Naaman Forest High School 6’4” 285 82

191 DE Amarillo, TX
Tascosa High School 6’3” 255 82

192 QB-DT Brentwood, TN
Ravenwood High School 6’0” 210 82

193 OT McDonough, GA
Eagles Landing Christian Academy 6’5” 300 82

194 S Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dillard High School 6’1” 180 82

195 OLB Manteca, CA
Manteca High School 6’3” 215 82

196 ILB Altamonte Springs, FL
Lake Brantley High School 6’1” 200 82

197 DE Indianapolis, IN
Lawrence Central High School 6’4” 225 82

198 TE-H Ashdown, AR
Ashdown High School 6’5” 215 82

199 QB-PP Baton Rouge, LA
Woodlawn High School 6’3” 185 82

200 WR Chula Vista, CA
Mater Dei Catholic High School 6’1” 190 82

201 DT Richmond, VA
Benedictine College Prep 6’4” 310 82

202 CB Baton Rouge, LA
Woodlawn High School 6’0” 165 82

203 TE-H Milton, MA
Milton Academy 6’4” 215 82

204 RB Plantation, FL
American Heritage High School 6’1” 220 82

205 DE HIghland Home, AL
Highland Home High School 6’6” 245 82

206 ATH Miami, FL
Miami Palmetto High School 5’11” 170 82

207 DE Trussville, AL
Hewitt-Trussville High School 6’4” 255 82

208 CB Charlotte, NC
Providence Day School 6’0” 175 82

209 OC Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’3” 325 82

210 ATH Carrollton, GA
Central High School 6’0” 175 82

211 DE Olney, MD
Our Lady of Good Counsel High School 6’5” 235 82

212 S San Jacinto, CA
San Jacinto High School 6’1” 180 82

213 TE-Y Saint Charles, MO
Francis Howell Central High School 6’6” 225 82

214 CB Frisco, TX
Lone Star High School 6’0” 170 82

215 DE Pleasant Valley, IA
Pleasant Valley High School 6’5” 240 82

216 S Munford, AL
Munford High School 5’11” 195 82

217 DE Columbia, MD
Wilde Lake High School 6’5” 205 82

218 CB Las Vegas, NV
Bishop Gorman High School 6’1” 190 82

219 DT New Bern, NC
New Bern High School 6’3” 285 82

220 CB Seattle, WA
Rainier High School 6’0” 180 82

221 ATH Pittsburg, CA
Pittsburg High School 6’1” 175 82

222 DE West Roxbury, MA
Catholic Memorial High School 6’4” 255 82

223 S Mansfield, TX
Mansfield High School 6’0” 185 82

224 DT Camden, NJ
Eastside High School 6’4” 300 82

225 DE Thomaston, GA
Upson-Lee High School 6’5” 245 82

226 DT Rome, GA
Rome High School 6’4” 270 82

227 ATH Folsom, CA
Folsom High School 6’1” 190 82

228 CB Arlington, TX
Timberview High School 5’11” 185 82

229 ATH Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dillard High School 5’11” 190 82

230 RB Charlotte, NC
West Charlotte High School 6’0” 185 82

231 DE Houston, TX
C. E. King High School 6’4” 245 82

232 WR Tallahassee, FL
James S. Rickards High School 6’3” 190 82

233 RB Scranton, PA
Scranton Preparatory School 5’11” 190 82

234 CB Montgomery, AL
Alabama Christian Academy 6’2” 180 82

235 QB-PP Colorado Springs, CO
Vista Ridge High School 6’5” 195 82

236 OT Provo, UT
Timpview High School 6’4” 260 82

237 WR Hollywood, FL
Avant Garde Academy 6’2” 195 81

238 OLB Watkinsville, GA
Oconee County High School 6’2” 195 81

239 OG Gilbert, AZ
Highland High School 6’5” 265 81

240 S Irvington, NJ
Irvington High School 6’0” 190 81

241 WR Bradenton, FL
IMG Academy 6’2” 185 81

242 ILB Altamonte Springs, FL
Lake Brantley High School 6’1” 190 81

243 DE Mentor, OH
Mentor High School 6’5” 240 81

244 WR Chipley, FL
Chipley High School 6’2” 185 81

245 CB Spanaway, WA
Spanaway Lake High School 5’11” 170 81

246 RB Naples, FL
Naples High School 6’1” 195 81

247 DE Saint Petersburg, FL
Lakewood Senior High School 6’4” 225 81

248 ATH Ocean Springs, MS
Ocean Springs High School 6’2” 190 81

249 RB Sandersville, GA
Washington County High School 5’11” 190 81

250 DE Washington, DC
St. John’s College High School 6’3” 235 81

251 ILB Philadelphia, PA
Imhotep Institute Charter High School 6’1” 220 81

252 TE-H Norcross, GA
Norcross High School 6’3” 220 81

253 S Zachary, LA
Zachary High School 6’2” 200 81

254 WR Lansdale, PA
North Penn High School 6’2” 175 81

255 S West Chester, OH
Lakota West High School 6’3” 175 81

256 OT Columbus, GA
Carver High School 6’5” 300 81

257 WR Tulsa, OK
Booker T. Washington High School 5’11” 170 81

258 TE-Y Tucson, AZ
Mountain View High School 6’4” 245 81

259 DE Gainesville, FL
Buchholz High School 6’3” 245 81

260 RB Middleburg, FL
Middleburg High School 5’11” 195 81

261 DE Manor, TX
Manor High School 6’4” 225 81

262 QB-DT Tacoma, WA
Lincoln High School 6’0” 205 81

263 ILB Fort Worth, TX
North Crowley High School 6’1” 215 81

264 OG Hyattsville, MD
DeMatha Catholic High School 6’5” 305 81

265 OLB Cleveland, OH
Glenville High School 6’3” 215 81

266 RB Canutillo, TX
Canutillo High School 6’1” 205 81

267 DE Cypress, TX
Cypress Ranch High School 6’3” 260 81

268 OT Arlington, TX
Lamar High School 6’7” 285 81

269 WR Owasso, OK
Owasso High School 5’10” 180 81

270 ATH Clearwater, FL
Clearwater Central Catholic H. S. 5’10” 170 81

271 QB-PP Dripping Springs, TX
Dripping Springs High School 6’2” 180 81

272 S Lake Charles, LA
Lake Charles College Prep 6’1” 180 81

273 DE Miami, FL
Gulliver Prep High School 6’4” 220 81

274 CB Rome, GA
Rome High School 6’0” 170 81

275 OG Elk Grove, CA
Elk Grove High School 6’3” 310 81

276 ATH Granada Hills, CA
Granada Hills High School 6’0” 175 81

277 WR Mesquite, TX
North Mesquite High School 6’2” 190 81

278 RB Montgomery, AL
Montgomery Catholic High School 5’11” 185 81

279 TE-H Havelock, NC
Havelock High School 6’4” 210 81

280 RB New Caney, TX
New Caney High 5’11” 190 81

281 DT North Kansas City, MO
North Kansas City High School 6’3” 285 81

282 ATH Los Alamitos, CA
Los Alamitos High School 6’3” 185 81

283 S Fairburn, GA
Langston Hughes High School 6’2” 195 81

284 RB San Diego, CA
Abraham Lincoln High School 6’1” 240 81

285 WR Roanoke, VA
Patrick Henry High School 6’0” 170 81

286 OLB Friendswood, TX
Friendswood High School 6’5” 230 81

287 OC Ferndale, WA
Ferndale High School 6’3” 280 81

288 DE Orlando, FL
Olympia High School 6’7” 265 81

289 OLB Hampton, VA
Phoebus High School 6’4” 215 81

290 ATH Arthur, IL
Arthur High School 6’2” 220 81

291 WR Mission Viejo, CA
Mission Viejo High School 5’9” 170 81

292 TE-Y Concord, CA
De La Salle High School 6’6” 255 81

293 QB-DT Florence, SC
South Florence High School 6’2” 225 81

294 OLB Post, TX
Post High School 6’4” 210 81

295 CB West Orange, NJ
West Orange High School 6’4” 180 81

296 OT Chattanooga, TN
Baylor School 6’6” 280 81

297 TE-H Fort Worth, TX
North Crowley High School 6’5” 215 81

298 ILB Gainesville, GA
Gainesville High School 6’2” 220 81

299 ATH Maiden, NC
Maiden High School 6’3” 190 81

300 CB Fort Mitchell, KY
Beechwood High School 5’10” 175 81

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College Football Playoff Anger Index: B1G love, BYU disrespect and more outrage

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College Football Playoff Anger Index: B1G love, BYU disrespect and more outrage

It’s a new era for the College Football Playoff, with the field growing from four to 12 this season. That means three times as many programs will gain entry, but, beginning with Tuesday’s initial playoff rankings, there’s three times as much room for outrage, too.

Under the old rules, there was a simple line of demarcation that separated the elated from the angry: Who’s in?

Now, there are so many more reasons for nitpicking the committee’s decisions, from first-round byes to hosting a home game to whether your supposedly meaningful conference has been eclipsed by teams from the Group of 5.

And if the first rankings are any indication, it’s going to be a fun year for fury. There’s little logic to be taken from the initial top 25 beyond the committee’s clear love for the Big Ten. Penn State and Indiana make the top eight despite having only one win combined over an ESPN FPI top-40 team (Penn State over Iowa). That Ohio State checks in at No. 2 ahead of Georgia is the most inexplicable decision involving Georgia since Charlie Daniels suggested the devil lost that fiddle contest. Oregon is a reasonable No. 1, but the Ducks still came within a breath of losing to Boise State. Indeed, the Big Ten’s nonconference record against the Power 4 this season is 6-8, just a tick better than the ACC and well behind the SEC’s mark of 10-6.

But this is the fun of early November rankings. The committee is still finding its footing, figuring out what to prioritize and what to ignore, what’s signal and what’s noise. And that’s where the outrage really helps. It’s certainly not signal, but it can be a really loud noise.

This week’s Anger Index:

There are only two possible explanations for BYU’s treatment in this initial ranking. The first is that the committee members are too sleepy to watch games beyond the Central time zone. The second, and frankly, less rational one, is they simply didn’t do much homework.

It’s certainly possible the committee members are so enthralled with metrics such as the FPI (where BYU ranks 28th) or SP+ (22nd) that they’ve determined the Cougars’ actual record isn’t as important. This is incredibly foolish. The FPI and SP+ certainly have their value, but they’re probabilistic metrics, designed to gauge the likelihood of future success. They’re in no way a ranking of actual results. (That’s why USC is still No. 17 in the FPI, despite Lincoln Riley spending his days wistfully scrolling through old pictures of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray and wondering if Oklahoma might want to get back together.)

To look at actual results paints a clear picture.

BYU (No. 4) has a better strength of record than Ohio State (No. 5), has played roughly the same quality schedule as Texas and has two wins against other teams ranked in the committee’s top 25 — as many as Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Tennessee and Indiana (all ranked ahead of the Cougars) combined.

Indiana’s rags-to-riches story is wonderful, of course, but how can the committee compare what BYU has done (wins over SMU and Kansas State) against Indiana’s 103rd-ranked strength of schedule?

And this particular snub has significant effects. The difference between No. 8 and No. 9 is a home game in the first round, of course, though as a potential conference champion, that’s a moot point. But what if BYU loses a game — perhaps the Big 12 title game? That could not only doom the Cougars from getting a first-round bye, but it could quite likely set up a scenario in which the Big 12 is shuffled outside the top four conferences entirely, passed by upstart Boise State.

What’s clear from this first round of rankings is the committee absolutely loves the Big Ten — with four teams ranked ahead of a subjectively more accomplished BYU team — and the Big 12 is going to face some serious headwinds.


There’s a great, though little watched, TV show from the 2010s called “Rectify,” about a man who escapes death row after new evidence is found, only to be constantly harassed by the same system that fraudulently locked him away for 20 years. This is basically the story of SMU.

Let’s do a quick blind résumé here.

Team A: 8-1 record, No. 13 strength of record, two wins vs. ranked opponents, loss to SP+ No. 22, .578 opponent win percentage

Team B: 7-1 record, No. 15 strength of record, two wins vs. ranked opponents, loss to SP+ No. 91, .567 opponent win percentage

OK, you probably guessed Team A is SMU. The Mustangs have wins against Louisville and Pitt — both relatively emphatic — and their lone loss came to No. 9 BYU, which came before a quarterback change and included five red zone drives that amounted to only six total points.

Team B? That’s Notre Dame. The Irish have the worst loss by far (to Northern Illinois) of any team in the top 25, beat a common opponent by the same score (though, while SMU outgained Louisville by 20 yards, the Cardinals actually outgained Notre Dame by 115) and have played one fewer game.

The difference? SMU has the stigma — of the death penalty, of the upstart program new to the Power 4, of being unworthy. Notre Dame is the big brand, and that results in being ranked three spots higher and, if the playoff were held today, getting in, while the Mustangs are left out.


There are three two-loss SEC teams ranked ahead of Ole Miss, which seems to be a perfectly reasonable consensus if you look at the AP poll, too. But are we sure that’s so reasonable?

Two stats we like to look at to measure a team’s quality are success rate (how often does a team make a play that improves its odds of winning) and explosiveness. Measure the differentials in each between offense and defense, then plot those out, and you’ll get a pretty clear look of who’s truly dominant in college football this season.

That outer band that features Penn State, Texas, Miami, Ohio State and Indiana (and notably, not Oregon, Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M)? That’s where Ole Miss lives.

The Rebels have two losses this season, each by three points, both in games they outgained the winning team. They lost to LSU on the road and, yes, somehow lost to a dismal Kentucky team. But hey, LSU lost to USC, too. It has been a weird season.

SP+ loves Ole Miss. The Rebels check in at No. 4 there, behind only Ohio State, Texas and Georgia.

The FPI agrees, ranking the Rebels fifth.

In ESPN’s game control metric, no team is better. Ole Miss has the third-best average in-game win percentage. That suggests a lot of strange twists, and bad luck was involved with its losses. These are things the committee should be evaluating when comparing like teams.

But how about this comparison?

Team A: 7-2, 23 points per game scoring margin vs. FBS, 1 loss to unranked, three wins vs. SP+ top 40

Team B: 7-2, 19 points per game scoring margin vs. FBS, 1 loss to unranked, three wins vs. SP+ top 40

Pretty similar, eh?

Of course, one of them is Ole Miss. That’s Team A this time around.

Team B is Alabama, ranked five spots higher.

Sure, this situation can be resolved quite easily this weekend with a win over Georgia, but Ole Miss starting at the back of the pack of SEC contenders seems like a miss by the committee, even if the math will change substantially before the next rankings are revealed.


Oh, thanks so much for the No. 25 nod, committee. All Army has done is win every game without trailing the entire season. Last season, when Liberty waltzed through its weakest-in-the-nation schedule, the committee had no objections to giving the Flames enough love to make a New Year’s Six bowl. But Army? At No. 25? Thirteen spots behind Boise State, the Knights’ competition for the Group of 5’s bid? Something tells us some spies from Air Force have infiltrated the committee’s room in some sort of Manchurian Candidate scenario.


Sure, the Seminoles are terrible now, and yes, the committee this season has plenty of new faces, but that doesn’t mean folks in Tallahassee have forgiven or forgotten what happened a year ago. Before the committee’s playoff snub, FSU had won 19 straight games and averaged 39 points. Since the snub, the Noles are 1-9 and haven’t scored 21 points in any game. Who’s to blame for this? Mike Norvell? The coaching staff? DJ Uiagalelei and the other struggling QBs? Well, sure. But it’s much easier to just blame the committee. Those folks killed Florida State’s playoff hopes and ended their run of success. The least they could do this year is rank them No. 25 just for fun.

Also angry: South Carolina (5-3, unranked), Vanderbilt (6-3, unranked), Georgia (7-1, No. 3), Louisville (6-3, No. 22), everyone who is not in the Big Ten.

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Alabama A&M LB Burnett remains hospitalized

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Alabama A&M LB Burnett remains hospitalized

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. remains hospitalized after sustaining a head injury during a game.

Burnett was still in the hospital Tuesday, according to an Alabama A&M spokesperson. The school hasn’t disclosed details of the injury Burnett suffered during a collision against Alabama State on Oct. 26.

A fundraising request on gofundme.com had raised more than $17,000 of a $100,000 goal as of Tuesday, and the school also set up an emergency relief fund. The gofundme goal included money to help the family pay for housing so they could be with him.

“He had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain,” Burnett’s sister, Dominece, wrote in a post on the page. “He had to have a tube to drain to relieve the pressure, and after 2 days of severe pressure, we had to opt for a craniotomy, which was the last resort to help try to save his life.”

An update on Saturday said Burnett had had complications, but didn’t elaborate.

Burnett is a second-year freshman from Lakewood, California. He transferred from Grambling State during the offseason.

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Sources: Huskers adding Holgorsen as consultant

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Sources: Huskers adding Holgorsen as consultant

Nebraska is adding former Houston and West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen to the staff as an offensive consultant, sources told ESPN.

Holgorsen will work with the offensive staff in a role that will evolve as the season goes on, per sources. Holgorsen joins the staff after spending this season with TCU as an offensive consultant.

He joins Nebraska at a time when the offense — and freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola — have been mired in a rut of uneven play and the team is on a three-game losing streak.

In Nebraska’s six conference games, the Cornhuskers rank No. 12 in the Big Ten in offense, No. 14 in rushing offense and No. 11 in passing offense. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has drawn criticism during Nebraska’s recent offensive slump, which has seen a dip in the passing game of Raiola, who was ESPN’s No. 11 recruit and the top pocket passer in the 2024 recruiting class.

Raiola has the third-most interceptions among Big Ten quarterbacks with eight, trailing Michigan State‘s Aidan Chiles (11) and USC‘s Miller Moss (9), who is being benched by the Trojans in favor of Jayden Maiava for next week’s matchup with the Cornhuskers.

In the past four games, Raiola has thrown just one touchdown and six interceptions. After starting 5-1, Nebraska is 5-4 and needs a win during a tough closing stretch to clinch the program’s first bowl game since 2016. That’s the longest drought of any team in power conference football.

Nebraska has a bye this week before next week’s visit to USC.

In adding Holgorsen, they are bringing in a coach who is a noted quarterback tutor and author of prolific offenses. Over the years he has worked with a slew of top college quarterbacks as an assistant and head coach — Graham Harrell, Case Keenum, Brandon Weeden, Geno Smith, Will Grier and Clayton Tune.

Holgorsen arrived in Lincoln on Monday, per sources.

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