Ohio St., UGA, Michigan, FSU atop CFP rankings
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Ohio State took the No. 1 spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night, while two-time defending national champion Georgia is right behind at No. 2.
Michigan, under NCAA investigation amid sign stealing allegations, is No. 3, while Florida State is No. 4 and Washington is No. 5. Oregon is the top-ranked one-loss team in the rankings at No. 6, while Texas is one spot ahead of Alabama thanks to the strength of its head-to-head win over the Tide in September.
“We looked at it, the big win over Notre Dame, and the win over Penn State, and they have difference makers on offense,” CFP chair Boo Corrigan said, referring to the Buckeyes on ESPN’s rankings release show. “We looked at it, Ohio State deserved to be number one.”
With five undefeated Power 5 teams headed into the first rankings, the biggest question was how the committee would choose to separate them. Clearly, strength of schedule played a big role.
“As a group, the 13 of us in the room, we felt this was the order for the top four slots,” Corrigan said.
The Buckeyes have played a much stronger schedule to date than Georgia. They have two Top 15 victories over Penn State (No. 11) and Notre Dame (No. 15). Georgia has zero Top 25 victories at the moment and a strength of schedule that currently ranks No. 100, according to ESPN metrics. The Bulldogs have only beaten two FBS teams with winning records.
Michigan has played an even weaker schedule than Georgia, ranking No. 111 right now.
Those metrics will change in the coming weeks, though as both teams hit the hardest part of their respective schedules. Georgia has games against No. 12 Missouri, No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 17 Tennessee over the next three weeks. Michigan has No. 11 Penn State and No. 1 Ohio State remaining.
Once again, that rivalry matchup between the Buckeyes and Wolverines could have huge implications for the playoff. Corrigan also made reference to Michigan’s investigation on the show and what it might mean down the line.
“We really view it as an NCAA issue, and not a CFP issue,” Corrigan said. “At this point in time, when we’re looking at it, we want to find the top four teams.”
As for Florida State and Washington, though the Huskies have the better victory (over No. 6 Oregon), they have struggled the last two weeks against losing teams — needing late comebacks against Arizona State and Stanford to win. Perhaps that played a role in the view of the committee. Like Georgia and Michigan, Washington has major matchups coming up that could help its strength of schedule — especially when compared to Florida State.
“It’s exactly that. It’s initial. As quickly as the season is going by, there’s a lot of football to be played,” Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said on the show. “We’ve done what we’ve had to do. And this next month for us is going to be a big month for us.”
The Huskies have No. 20 USC, No. 18 Utah and No. 16 Oregon State coming up.
“We’re in a different spot than we were a year ago. There’s a target on our backs,” DeBoer said. “We really have to rise up, and so far, we have.”
As for the Seminoles, they only have one Top 25 victory at the moment, over No. 14 LSU. Playing in a league with only one other ranked team (No. 13 Louisville) has not seemed to have affected the way the committee views the Seminoles. Yet. Florida State and Louisville do not play each other in the regular season, meaning the Seminoles have zero ranked teams remaining on their schedule.
“There’s so much (involved), and we have three new committee members that are in the room,” Corrigan said. “The biggest thing is that we get it right, and that we’re comfortable with where we are. Looking at Washington, there was a little bit of concern.”
As for the other undefeated team that is eligible for the postseason, Air Force (8-0) came in ranked at No. 25. But the Falcons are not the top ranked Group of 5 school. Despite a loss, Tulane (7-1) is just ahead of Air Force at No. 24.
Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.
Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.
The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.
If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.
“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”
Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.
“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”
Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.
The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.
“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”
The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.
Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.
The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”
Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.
Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.
San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.
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