College Football Playoff Rankings: Georgia opens at No. 1, Notre Dame at No. 3

The first College Football Playoff Rankings for the 2017 season are out and there were a lot of close decisions to sort out. There were also some inconsistencies, which is common with only nine weeks down and five weeks to go until the four playoff finalists are determined.

We will get to that in shortly, but first, let’s start with the usual disclaimer. Nothing in these rankings is meaningful in terms of where teams may be ranked at the end of the season.  It is possible that the current top four teams could win out — with the exception of an Alabama-Georgia SEC Championship Game — and still not be the top four teams at the end.  Even if they are, the order may change.  This isn’t like the top 25 polls where you hold your position unless you lose. In any given week, a team could lose and move up or win and move down.  We have seen examples of each over the first three years of this system.

Georgia edged Alabama for the No. 1 spot with its victory over No. 3 Notre Dame standing as the best win in college football this season. Clemson checked in at No. 4, while undefeateds Wisconsin and Miami start out at the bottom of the top 10 with six one-loss teams separating them from the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide. Head-to-head wins are reflected at the top of the rankings with Oklahoma, Ohio State and Penn State falling in order at Nos. 5-7.

Let’s take a look at the entire top 25. Additional analysis follows the rankings below.

College Football Playoff Rankings, Oct. 31

1. Georgia (8-0)
2. Alabama (8-0)
3. Notre Dame (7-1)
4. Clemson (7-1)
5. Oklahoma (7-1)
6. Ohio State (7-1)
7. Penn State (7-1)
8. TCU (7-1)
9. Wisconsin (8-0)
10. Miami (7-0)
11. Oklahoma State (7-1)
12. Washington (7-1)
13. Virginia Tech (7-1)
14. Auburn (6-2)
15. Iowa State (6-2)
16. Mississippi State (6-2)
17. USC (7-2)
18. UCF (7-0)
19. LSU (6-2)
20. NC State (6-2)
21. Stanford (6-2)
22. Arizona (6-2)
23. Memphis (7-1)
24. Michigan State (6-2)
25. Washington State (7-2)

There does seem to be a strength-of-schedule theme to these rankings.  Georgia is No. 1 over No. 2 Alabama because it has played a stronger schedule to this point and has a better win.  However, No. 4 Clemson has two wins better than any of No. 3 Notre Dame’s victories, a better collection of wins overall, and at least an equal schedule with the Irish to this point.  Clemson’s loss is worse, though, and that seemed to be enough to put the Tigers below the Irish.

No. 5 Oklahoma is ahead of No. 6 Ohio State despite a significantly worse schedule overall, one which includes both Kansas and Baylor, which are a combined 1-15.  Oklahoma won at Ohio State, as we all know, but in 2014, Baylor beat TCU and had to wait until the final rankings of the season before the committee determined that their schedules were equal enough for the head-to-head to matter. Things have changed in 2017 — for this week, anyway.

I think you could quite reasonably argue that No. 8 TCU should be ahead of Oklahoma at this point.  The Horned Frogs have played a better schedule and have better wins.  Their loss to now-No. 15 Iowa State came on the road.  Oklahoma’s one good win is better than TCU’s best (at Oklahoma State) but not that much better. The Sooners get their own shot at the No. 11 Cowboys in Bedlam this week.

All that said, in the end, 12-1 Oklahoma will definitely be ahead of 12-1 Ohio State if they both get to that point.  I do not really have a problem with it being that way now either, but it is just one of those ways in which the committee is inconsistent.

Strength of schedule is definitely what held down undefeated No. 9 Wisconsin and No. 10 Miami. The Hurricanes’ schedule will get a nice boost the next two weeks when they play No. 13 Virginia Tech and No. 3 Notre Dame.  They would do very well to still be undefeated after that.  Wisconsin’s strength of schedule is pretty much doomed.  They won’t play a team in the current rankings until the Big Ten title game.  The only teams they have played so far with a record above .500 are Northwestern and Florida Atlantic.

UCF blew away the record for the highest debut for a Group of Five team.  The Knights came in at No. 18.  East Carolina, which was No. 22 in the first CFP Rankings of 2014, held the previous high mark.

One of the unfortunate byproducts of this playoff system is that everyone focuses on conferences, specifically which one(s) are left out of the top four.  It’s a game of musical chairs: five major conferences, four seats.  This is really about teams, though, not conferences.

In the rankings this week, the Big 12, Pac-12 and Big Ten are all left out because two SEC teams are in the top four along with Notre Dame.  There is a lot of football left to be played, though.  Even for the Pac-12, which has No. 12 Washington as its top-rated team, there is still hope.  Oklahoma started 15th in 2015 and made the playoff.  Ohio State started 16th in 2014 and didn’t just make the playoff, it won the national championship.

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GOP Rep. Jeb Hensarling to retire after end of current term

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb HensarlingThomas (Jeb) Heb HensarlingGOP chairman tells agencies to exclude info from FOIA requests Plans to swap bank regs for capital hikes could prove costly Four starting points for reforming Dodd-Frank MORE (R-Texas) announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of his term.

“Today I am announcing that I will not seek reelection to the U.S. Congress in 2018. Although service in Congress remains the greatest privilege of my life, I never intended to make it a lifetime commitment, and I have already stayed far longer than I had originally planned,” Hensarling said.

Hensarling has been set to lose his position as chairman of the Financial Services Committee at the end of this Congress; GOP rules limit a chairman to three consecutive terms. Hensarling said the term limits made it the right time to leave Congress to spend more time with his family.

Talk of Hensarling’s possible retirement had started to pick up before the Dallas Morning News first reported his departure on Tuesday.

Capitol Hill and K Street sources told The Hill on Monday that Hensarling could announce his departure by the end of this week or next.

Several GOP lawmakers and aides on the Hill, before Hensarling’s statement to the Dallas Morning News, had said there was an “expectation” that this would be Hensarling’s last term in Congress.

Hensarling has chaired the Financial Services panel since 2013, leading the House GOP fight against the strict Dodd-Frank Act finance rules passed after the financial crisis.

The committee produced dozens of bills to restrict or eliminate major portions of Dodd-Frank. Many of those laid the foundation for Hensarling’s Financial Choice Act, the most ambitious attempt to reshape the Obama-era law.

Speaker Paul RyanPaul RyanBudget vote raises red flag for GOP on tax reform Dems yearn for days of GOP deficit hawks Ryan: FBI will hand over documents related to Trump-Russia dossier MORE (R-Wis.) called the bill “the crown jewel” of the GOP agenda, and included it in the party’s 2017 policy platform. The House passed the bill along party lines in June, but GOP senators have shown little interest in taking it up.

Hensarling has also advanced a slew of other fixes to Dodd-Frank through the committee, several with major bipartisan support, earning high marks from the financial services industry.

“He has had — and continues to have — a tremendous impact on the financial sector,” said a financial services industry lobbyist of Hensarling, calling him “the leader in Republicans efforts to reduce financial regulation under President Trump.”

But Hensarling faced a limited future in the House beyond his chairmanship. He was elected House GOP conference chair in 2011, succeeding then-Rep. Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PencePence to visit Israel, Egypt: report Pence says US to stop funding ‘ineffective’ UN relief efforts Overnight Regulation: GOP flexes power over consumer agency | Trump lets states expand drone use | Senate panel advances controversial EPA pick | House passes bill to curb ‘sue-and-settle’ regs MORE (R-Ind.), but passed on several chances to climb the GOP leadership ladder after that.

Hensarling was often floated by colleagues as a possible future majority leader or speaker, but he declined run for the No. 2 job after Majority Leader Eric CantorEric CantorA tyranny of the minority is raising your health care costs Bannon-tied group kicks off brutal GOP primary season America needs a constitutional check on money in politics MORE (R-Va.) lost his primary in 2014 and didn’t run for any open leadership posts after former Rep. John BoehnerJohn Andrew BoehnerThe original Tea Partier exits, stage right A tyranny of the minority is raising your health care costs Rivalry on right emerges between ‘the two Marks’ MORE (R-Ohio) abruptly resigned from the speakership in 2015.

Hensarling has also fought fellow Republicans on key issues before his committee. More than two-thirds of the House killed his effort to permanently close the Export-Import Bank in 2015 with a GOP-led discharge petition.

He’s also squabbled with coastal Republicans, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.), over Hensarling’s preference for higher federal flood insurance premiums and stricter requirements for building and insuring homes in flood zones.

Hensarling said Tuesday the Financial Services Committee will continue to work on financial regulations, housing finance, cybersecurity and capital formation. He also pledged “to continue the fight for individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited constitutional government — the causes for which I remain passionate.”

Ryan called Hensarling “a true constitutional conservative who understands that free enterprise is critical to a thriving America” in a Tuesday statement.

“I am going to miss him and this institution will miss him, but knowing Jeb, I’m positive he has a great chapter ahead,” Ryan said.

Hensarling is  “very close to Pence and would be well positioned for a strong opportunity in the Trump administration,” said one GOP lawmaker who knows the chairman and vice president.

Hensarling chaired the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a conservative policy group of more than 100 Republicans, from 2007 to 2009. Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C), current RSC chairman, said Hensarling helped shape the group with his “grit and wisdom.”

“He has always been able to crystalize the conservative direction forward when Congress is presented with challenges,” Walker said. “It is not often that we get champions in Congress for limited government and fiscal discipline like Jeb.”

Updated at 3:33 p.m.

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