An honest take on the nation’s top college football teams

Published 8:34 pm Tuesday, October 28, 2014

I am writing this column Tuesday morning, so I do not have knowledge of where the college football teams will be ranked when the College Playoff Selection Committee releases their initial rankings of the teams Tuesday evening.

I do, however have some feelings about what a tough job they have been assigned to do. First of all, no matter how the rankings ultimately fall, some schools’ alumni will criticize them. Fans will think their school’s teams should have been ranked higher.

Being honest, I must admit that I am a fan of a couple of teams who will be in the rankings conversation. I was a Florida State University Seminoles football season ticket holder for more than 25 years. As an Irish Catholic, I am a University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football fan as my dear late dad was before me. Notre Dame’s only loss was a close one to the undefeated Seminoles in Tallahassee, so a lot of unusual things would have to happen for them to get back in the picture.

Email newsletter signup

It is also very possible that the Seminoles will suffer their first loss tomorrow night when they travel to Louisville to take on the University of Louisville Cardinals, who have a very strong defense.

Former University of Mississippi Rebels and New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning, the father of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, was originally supposed to be on the selection committee, but he had to withdraw because of knee surgery and his inability to travel.

I have watched many college football games on television this season, and I think it is a  definite possibility that whatever two teams make it to the national championship game both have one loss. There is no doubt that the SEC is by far the strongest football conference in the country and I think the Georgia Bulldogs, whose only loss is a close one to the South Carolina Gamecocks, is as good as any team in the country and is very capable of being named one of the top four teams in the country, which would give them the possibility of ultimately playing for the National Championship.

I would not want the burden of being on the selection committee because there are so many strong teams this season. They have an extremely difficult task.