ESPN's Chris 'Bear' Fallica provides keys to know from initial CFP rankings
The initial College Football Playoff rankings have been released and ESPN’s Chris ‘Bear’ Fallica is providing some interesting historical tidbits.
Fallica points out a reliable trend that in the previous five years, 17 out of the 20 teams that qualified for the CFP were ranked in the Top 5 on the initial rankings. Fallica also notes that Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Oklahoma have dominated during the CFP era, with a total of 20 berths.
The first 2 years of the College Football Playoff saw four teams ranked outside the initial Top 5 reach the playoff. But that’s been the outlier, not the norm. In the last 5 years, 17 of the 20 teams which reached the College Football Playoff were ranked in the initial Top 5…
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) November 4, 2021
Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma have combined for 20 of the 28 CFP berths. Right now, only Alabama is in the Top 4…
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) November 4, 2021
Michigan State is ranked No. 3 in the first edition of the CFP rankings. The Spartans are 8-0 and in first place in the B1G East after most recently edging in-state rival Michigan 37-33 on Oct. 30.
The CFP semifinal bowls this season will be the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 31. The CFP championship game is slated for Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.