College Football
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart, center, prepares to lead, from left, offensive lineman Dylan Fairchild (53), running back Kendall Milton (2), offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (69), defensive lineman Zion Logue (96), and linebacker Jalon Walker (11) onto the field before an NCAA football game Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia defeated Florida 43-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

One Sentence Reactions to the First CFP Top 25 Rankings

The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2023 are out. Here’s a brief, immediate reaction to the inaugural rankings.

25-10

No. 25 Air Force: They don’t pass; they don’t lose.

No. 24 Tulane: Would have loved to see how their initial game against now-No. 10 Ole Miss would have gone with a healthy Michael Pratt.

No. 23 Kansas State: Watch out Big 12; the Wildcats have locked in since losing to a very good Mizzou team.

No. 22 Oklahoma State: Haven’t lost since since September, but losing 33-7 to South Alabama still stings.

No. 21 Kansas: Got a huge, program-defining win against Oklahoma this weekend.

No. 20 USC: Personally, don’t understand this one due to SC’s awful defense, multiple losses and less-than-convincing wins.

No. 19 UCLA: The sleeper of the PAC-12, has a fairly easy schedule from here on out as far as the PAC-12 goes this year.

No. 18 Utah: Kyle Whittingham has done a brilliant job with this team, but everyone saw the skill gap (especially with a freshman backup QB) between the Utes and Oregon this past weekend.

No. 17 Tennessee: 0-2 in big rivalry games this year, the talented Vols have crumbled under the spotlight.

No. 16 Oregon State: The Beavers have looked pretty good so far, and will have a chance to cause havoc as they play Oregon and Washington the last two weeks of the year.

No. 15 Notre Dame: The highest-ranked two-loss team, and it’s deserved.

No. 14 LSU: NCAA 24 (if it existed) ratings: Offense- 98, Defense- 70

No. 13 Louisville: A very generous ranking given the strength of schedule + a loss to an awful Pitt team.

No. 12 Missouri: Brady Cook + Luther Burden III +  Cody Schrader = points.

No. 11 Penn State: Same old Penn State: good team, can’t beat Ohio State.

The Top 10

No. 10 Ole Miss: Credit where credit’s due, the Rebs have one loss in the SEC West heading into November.

No. 9 Oklahoma: Lost their final ever Big 12 meeting with Kansas in football, who would have thought?

No. 8 Alabama: Beat LSU this weekend and their playoff hopes are very much alive, lose and their SEC West hopes are all but dead.

No. 7 Texas: Texas will have to take on surging K-State this weekend with a backup QB.

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1719493814308487503

No. 6 Oregon: A fair ranking considering how great Oregon has looked; the committee clearly sees the PAC-12 as a real power this year.

No. 5 Washington: The best team in the best conference, but they’ve looked asleep at the wheel since beating Oregon.

No. 4 Florida State: The ‘Noles are in the best position of any team in the Top 10, as they just have to win a weak ACC.

No. 3 Michigan: Should focus on winning their upcoming court case.

No. 2 Georgia: Pleasantly surprised with the committee for this ranking; the Dawgs have looked great but just don’t have the quality wins that Ohio State does.

No. 1 Ohio State: A perfect record including huge wins against Notre Dame and Penn State land the Buckeyes at the top of the initial rankings.

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