Randy Johnson's Three-and-Out

A look around college football each week

Three observations on the initial College Football Playoff rankings

At No. 6, Cincinnati is snubbed again

The 8-0 Bearcats own a dominant road win over No. 10 Notre Dame, yet the committee kept them out of the top four. Schedule strength always hurts Group of Five teams, but the committee basically is saying unless you're a blue blood, you don't get in. That's the best argument of any for playoff expansion.

Alabama at No. 2?

Sure, the Crimson Tide is the defending national champion and has wins over No. 16 Ole Miss and No. 17 Mississippi State, but doesn't that loss to No. 14 Texas A&M factor in? It sure seems as if the Tide is getting a mulligan. Two or three spots down would make more sense.

No. 4 Oregon over No. 5 Ohio State makes sense for now

When two teams have the same record, what's the best way to decide who's better? Have them play, and that happened when Oregon beat Ohio State 35-28 in Columbus. The Buckeyes still have games vs. No. 3 Michigan State and No. 7 Michigan, so they'll likely move up if they win out.