It's CFP Rankings Release Day. Here's How I'd Sort the Top of College Football Into Tiers Today

One of the more intriguing days of the modern college football yearly calendar is the first day the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee releases its initial rankings. While much is still to be determined, clearly, these initial rankings function as a significant cornerstone for what the final rankings ultimately look like, which decide who gets the opportunity to lose to the best SEC team in the Playoff this year. I won't try to predict the initial rankings in this article, but rather will give my definitive tier list of the top 30-ish teams in college football as most of these teams have played eight games to this point. Don't hold me to this, but I'm pretty sure this tier list will prove to be completely, unassailably correct at the end of the year.

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The Juggernauts

Georgia

Michigan

This is the easiest group to decide thus far. Both are undefeated and have looked darn impressive doing so. Georgia had a bit of a scare at Auburn earlier this year, but they look to be morphing into the form of the team many expected them to be as they seek to become the first program to three-peat in the history of modern college football. Michigan has shown signs (and stolen a few, to be fair) of being the clear foil to Georgia this year with an utterly dominant run through their early schedule. This matchup was supposed to happen in the national title last year (shoutout TCU for ruining that), and it looks like these teams are on a collision course again. These are your clear title favorites at this point.

The Teams That Legitimately Have the Goods to Win a Title

These teams can win a title, but they have a flaw somewhere that makes me question whether they'll A. Finish the season in position to be in the Playoff or B. Match up well enough to challenge the juggernauts. These teams are still awesome, though. I'll try to order these teams within their tiers by how I personally view them, but I think the first four teams listed here are completely interchangeable as of now.

Florida State

Florida State has had a couple of duds, but they've largely taken care of business since their massive win over LSU to start the season. Their offense is full of difference-makers (Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman, Jaheim Bell, Trey Benson, etc.), and their defense is surprisingly stingy. They have a championship ceiling to match a strong resume.

Ohio State

Ohio State has an even stronger resume (in my opinion) with a LOADED roster, but their quarterback play makes me doubt they have the ceiling to hang with the Juggernauts.

Oregon

Oregon is really good, and though they have a loss at Washington, I'm confident they're the most serious title contender in the Pac-12.

Texas

Texas has a huge win at Alabama, a fleet of elite skill position players on offense, and a better defense than most people realize. They're clearly the best team in the Big 12, especially after Oklahoma's loss this week.

Alabama

Alabama is probably the most controversial inclusion here, but they have the pure roster to run the table, sneak into the Playoff, and somehow finish the season with another trophy in Tuscaloosa. I don't think they will, but I think they could, and that's something I can't say for the rest of the teams below them.

The Contenders to Get To the Playoff

These teams won't win a championship (sorry), but they can make the Playoff. Some of them might even win a game when they get there. Dreams can come true, you guys, but only if they don't involve one of these teams hoisting the trophy at the end of the season.

Penn State

Washington

Oklahoma

Louisville

Ole Miss

Missouri

Penn State doesn't have a reliable enough offense, but they're the best team in this bunch still (that defense is so stacked). Washington is undefeated, but starting to fall off, and I think they'll drop at least one game before the Pac-12 Championship. Oklahoma probably has the best chance to make the Playoff from this group (in my opinion) but they're a notch below Texas, and that loss to Kansas took all their margin for error away. Louisville is just kinda there because their schedule is super favorable (sounds like my Hawks). Ole Miss could, but they won't. Mizzou could, but they definitely won't.

The Best of the Non-Playoff Teams

These teams will not make the Playoff, but they're probably better than half the teams in the tier above. They're Playoff-caliber-ish, but they've dropped the ball this year.

LSU

Notre Dame

The Outside-Shot-At-A-NY6-Bowl Teams

These jokers in this final group might be able to make a big bowl game and beat one of the teams listed above them in these ratings if half of that team's starters opt out. I'm definitely kidding, but not entirely.

Tennessee

UCLA

Oregon State

North Carolina

Kansas State

Utah

USC

Tulane

Air Force

Miami

Kansas

Oklahoma State

Random SEC West Team

Arizona

Iowa (seriously)

Nebraska (less-seriously, but not impossible)

Apology Corner: Maroon 5

This will be a short post, but I simply had to place this energy out into the world: I like Maroon 5. The Los Angeles-based pop band led by superstar vocalist Adam Levine has been maligned (by me) as "cliche", "basic", and "overrated" for years in the past. This one-sided dispute rose to unprecedented heights in recent years, culminating with me questioning whether Levine was even qualified to be a judge on NBC's The Voice and claiming privately that their Super Bowl halftime show in 2019 was "Easily the worst I've seen in my lifetime" when I knew fully well that a certain Katy Perry had graced the same stage a mere four years prior. I want this post to finally put this conflict to rest.

"Misery" is a bop. "She Will Be Loved" and "Payphone" are modern pop classics. "Girls Like You" (the version not featuring Cardi B.) gets stuck in my head for at least an hour once a week. "Moves Like Jagger" is still not good. Several other songs are excellent at giving solid vibes as the background in supermarkets and on the airwaves of your standard pop/country/repeat-the-same-five-songs-in-perpetuity radio stations. I'm man enough to admit my mistakes and recognize that just because they're popular and Adam Levine doesn't seem like the most stand-up dude (Google "Adam Levine DMs" if you're really curious), I can admit that it's not cool to despise them (anymore). At the end of the day, game should still recognize game. They've been rolling out timeless music for over a decade, and hating on them doesn't make anyone more unique or special. Now, Taylor Swift on the other hand......*ducks and hides*

Iowa Football Position Group Report Card Two-Thirds of the Way Through the Season

Iowa Football's Offensive MVP thus far this season

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Offense

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Quarterback

Grade: F

This position group is obviously a bit unfair to judge fairly due to Cade McNamara's season-ending injury at the beginning of Game Five against Michigan State, but he wasn't exactly setting the world on fire either. Still, he remains Iowa's leading passer in most statistical categories through eight games with a whopping 505 yards and 4 TDs while completing 51.1% of his passes. In relief, Iowa has effectively handed the keys of the 2001 Ford Taurus that is the Iowa offense to Deacon Hill, who has done what I thought was impossible: Made me internally beg for Spencer Petras to leave his perch on Iowa's sideline throw on a jersey and come take over at QB for one last go-around. Hill is completing 37.8%(!!!!) of his passes with a 2:3 Touchdown:Interception ratio and no less than five throws each game that miss the intended target by more than five yards. I legitimately didn't think it could get worse at this position than what Iowa experienced last year, but these Hawkeyes aren't shy about historic performances on the offensive side of the ball. With the worst offense in all of FBS football by a considerable margin, they have a quarterback situation that somehow has found additional downside to reach.

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Fullback

Grade: A-

Through the first part of the season, Iowa didn't utilize this position as much as prior years in favor of lining up Erick All as an H-back (which I liked, for the record). In the past couple weeks as Iowa's TE room has thinned with injuries, FB Hayden Large has found a more regular role, with largely (pun intended) good results. He's made key blocks on multiple long runs throughout this year, which translates to about 95% of Iowa's offensive production. He's not the problem with Iowa's offense.

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Running Back

Grade: B-

The three-headed attack of Kaleb Johnson, Leshon Williams, and Jazium Patterson has flashed a lot of potential this year, and they've alternated turns providing the engine that keeps Iowa's 2004 Chevy Impala offense lurching down the field once or twice a game. Injuries have robbed us of a steady rotation, and their production has been inconsistent throughout the year. That's why I give them a middling grade.

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Wide Receiver

Grade: N for Non-Existent

They get this grade because they've been invisible essentially this entire season. Shoutout Diante Vines for a great catch last game against Minnesota. He might get three more catches this year with that kind of effort.

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Tight End

Grade: A

Prior to their injuries, Erick All and Luke Lachey were easily one of the best TE duos in the country, and All even singlehandedly carried Iowa's offense for a couple weeks before a Wisconsin player took a cowardly dive directly into the medial aspect of his knee (I'm not bitter at all). Even since, Iowa's TE3 Steven Stillianos and TE4 Addison Ostrenga have picked up the slack to a degree and are still well above average. Ostrenga flashed some big-time potential against Minnesota by catching multiple Deacon Hill passes (one called back, but I am counting it because I don't see a lot of passes caught on a week-to-week basis), a feat that I consider nearly impossible. This room was so loaded, and they've been the true backbone of this offense despite the injuries.

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Offensive Tackle

Grade: F

Mason Richman and Gennings Dunker have not improved, and they got absolutely destroyed by Penn State's EDGE defenders in a very public way earlier this year. The offensive line is, shockingly, noticeably better than last year to me (they have a good game once every three games instead of nonce every three games). These two have not. I've been very disappointed, because I had high hopes for both.

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Offensive Guard

Grade: C-

There was some shuffling at this position early in the year, but they've settled into starting Rusty Feth and Connor Colby. That's the best combo in my opinion, but even those two haven't been absolutely stellar. Inconsistency has marred the whole offensive line, and I think that is largely due to some inconsistency between these two. When Feth and Colby are rolling, the Iowa run game can move the ball. When they don't Iowa might as well pass every play. Or just punt.

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Center

Grade: B-

He hasn't been absolutely perfect by any means (I have high standards for Iowa centers), but he has improved massively since last year. His snaps are more crisp, and his athleticism when blocking in space combined with rare strength has made me see the path for him to develop into an NFL-caliber center. Unfortunately, he plays on a Pop Warner offense, so it's hard to tell exactly how good he truly is. Big props to Will's Man™️, though!

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Defense

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Cornerback

Grade: A

The only reason this isn't an A+ is because we've seen some inconsistency from Jermari Harris by allowing like two or three long completions this season. That's an unbelievable standard to hold a Power Five cornerback to, but this is the world we live in. Cooper Dejean is electric and elite. These two and Deshaun Lee are an excellent cornerback trio, and they've been more than serviceable even by Iowa standards. They just haven't been quite at the level of some prior groups.

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Safety

Grade: B+

There have been some splash plays made by Xavier Nwankpa, and I think he has sky-high potential and will prove to be a high NFL draft pick. There have also been brief lapses in concentration/technique that have allowed a couple big plays to happen that simply should not happen against this offense. Quinn Schulte is steady, but this season has had a number of moments that hammered home the truth that he is a former walk-on playing against big-time athletes. I think this group should be better, and it's because I think highly of their ability (particularly Nwankpa's).

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Cash/LEO

Grade: A+

Sebastian Castro has manned this spot essentially all year, and he's been a revelation. Hard hits, blanket coverage, and timely splash plays have emphasized how valuable both he and this position are to the success of this defense, and why Iowa usually reserves this position for one of their best players. He's an All-American (in my book), a future NFL player, and he might be Iowa's best pure defensive player this year.

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Linebacker

Grade: A

There were some coverage lapses early in the year by yours truly's Man™️ Nick Jackson, but since that has been cleaned up, the tandem of Jackson and Jay Higgins has been absolutely rock-solid. We talked on the podcast about how difficult it would be to replace Jack Campbell and Seth Benson, but Higgins and Jackson have been more than up to the task. Higgins, who is second in the country and leads the Power Five in tackles, will likely challenge for All-American honors while Jackson is a bonafide All-Big Ten performer to me. These guys have been awesome, and Iowa has leaned heavily on both of them to make a ton of plays throughout the year.

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Defensive End

Grade: C+

This is a difficult grade to give because there is more to the DE role in Iowa's defense than just rushing the passer, but Iowa's ends have not pressured the quarterback nearly enough. I expected a breakout year from Deontae Craig, but that simply has not occurred (2 sacks through eight games). Joe Evans leads the team with 3.5 sacks, which is not a number you're satisfied with this late in the year. Many people (me included) thought that Iowa's depth at DE would make up for the loss of a first-round talent in Lukas Van Ness, but that clearly has not played out to this point.

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Defensive Tackle

Grade: B+

This group has been better than the DEs, but I expected them to be extremely dominant this year. The absence of Noah Shannon clearly didn't help, but it's taken some time for Yahya Black and Logan Lee to establish consistency on the interior. Black had a phenomenal day against Wisconsin and Lee was very solid against Minnesota. Sophomore Aaron Graves has flashed elite potential with an expanded role, and I think this is a unit that will continue to improve as the year goes along, especially if Shannon is able to return to the field.

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Special Teams

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Kicker

Grade: A-

He had a rough outing against Purdue, but has otherwise been really solid. He's probably the best NFL prospect Iowa has had at the position in over a decade.

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Punter

Grade: G for GOAT

Literally the best punter of all time in my lifetime as a Hawkeye fan.