Pac-12 gets walloped by the CFP selection committee with Oregon and USC on the outskirts
A unsettling Tuesday afternoon for the Pac-12 that featured another canceled game (Utah at Arizona State) then turned ghastly when the first College Football Playoff rankings were unveiled.
The conference’s path into the CFP is narrow — so narrow, in fact, that it doesn’t reasonably exist.
The leading indicator of trouble in ESPN’s reverse-order reveal came when Washington didn’t appear near the bottom of the rankings after thrashing Arizona.
Then came an ominous position for USC, which was slotted 18th despite a 3-0 record and two road wins.
Finally, in the No. 15 position, was Oregon.
The Ducks are 3-0 after a narrow victory over UCLA — the latest in a string of uneven performances for the defending conference champs.
“They just haven’t seemed dominant for four quarters week in and week out,” ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer said.
The lack of data points was also problematic for the Pac-12 entries.
All but one team ranked above the Ducks has played at least five games, and many have played seven or eight.
(The exception is No. 4 Ohio State, which has played four games.)
“Oregon is playing at a high level,” said Gary Barta, the selection committee chair and athletic director at Iowa.
“With three games, they haven’t yet beaten or played a ranked team. Right now, we had three games to evaluate. We put them where we thought they should be for now.
“We have four more weeks (of rankings), and I’ll look forward to having more games to add to that resume to see where they go from here.”
But the Ducks have precious few chances to impress.
Next up is Oregon State (1-2), followed by Cal (0-2), Washington (2-0) and then, perhaps, the conference championship.
That’s not exactly a lineup of top-10 opponents the Ducks can use for propulsion.
Just as ominous for the conference is the makeup of the teams ahead of Oregon:
— Two teams from the Big 12 with two losses (Oklahoma and Iowa State)
— Two teams outside the Power Five (Cincinnati and Brigham Young)
— Four teams from the SEC, three from the ACC and three from the Big Ten.
In other words, the Ducks — and Trojans — need more than a few favorable results elsewhere to climb into contention.
They need something very 2020 to happen.
Support the Hotline: Several Hotline articles will remain free each month (as will the newsletter), but for access to all content, you’ll need to subscribe. I’ve secured a rate of $1 per week for a full year or just 99 cents for the first month, with the option to cancel anytime. Click here. And thanks for your loyalty.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline
*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.