College Football Playoff committee makes clear it will use the 'eye test' to sort out contenders

The College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee has released its initial rankings, placing Ohio State at the top, closely followed by Indiana and Texas A&M, both undefeated. Committee chairman Mack Rhoades emphasized the use of both statistical metrics and game film in the selection process, underscoring the importance of the "eye test" in evaluating team performance. The rankings reflect Ohio State's and Indiana’s stronger defensive performances despite Texas A&M's challenging schedule and notable victory over Notre Dame.

If the playoff were based on these rankings, the matchups would include No. 12 Memphis at No. 5 Georgia and No. 11 Virginia at No. 6 Ole Miss, among others. Differences between the CFP and the AP Top 25 rankings are evident, such as Oregon being ranked higher in the AP poll compared to the CFP rankings.

Memphis is not in the committee's top 25 but stands to enter the playoff as the fifth-best conference champion due to its position within the