Which College Football Teams Are Too High in the CFP Rankings?

No. 6: Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State being ranked sixth is justifiable, but an argument could be made that ninth or tenth is more appropriate. Penn State’s best win is probably at West Virginia, and the Mountaineers are 4-4. They also had a seven-point victory over Bowling Green, beat UCLA by 16 at home, narrowly won at USC, and comfortably won at Wisconsin before losing at home to Ohio State last weekend. For comparison's sake, the Indiana Hoosiers are unbeaten, won at UCLA by 29 (13 more than PSU beat UCLA in State College), and have zero wins by less than 14 points. The Nittany Lions can take care of business the rest of the way and host a playoff game, but they are a couple of spots high right now.

Week 11: Washington at Penn State (-13.5)

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No. 23: Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers got handled by Georgia in the season-opener, and there was a lot of discussion about the Tigers falling from the sport's top tier. Clemson then blasted six straight opponents, and everyone felt much better about Dabo Swinney’s program. However, look a bit deeper at those results. NC State was the only competent team they beat, and they failed to lock anyone down on defense. The Louisville Cardinals entered Death Valley for a night game with Clemson coming off of the bye, and they pushed the Tigers around, handing them a 33-21 loss that was more lopsided than even that score would indicate. Clemson does not have any great wins and has two lopsided losses.

No. 19: Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State entered the season with high hopes of winning the Big 12, but they are 7-2 and 4-2 in the league through nine games. The Wildcats are only +20 in total scoring margin in conference games. That includes a thumping at the hands of BYU and a five-point defeat at Houston. They beat Colorado by only three points and were fortunate to beat Kansas at home just two weeks ago. Kansas State is a solid team but far from dominant.

No. 15: LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers are 6-2 and 3-1 in the SEC, with conference wins over Ole Miss by three, South Carolina in a controversial game by three, and an impressive blowout win at Arkansas. The Tigers are close to being 1-3 in the SEC, having lost to a bad USC team and being blown out in the second half at Texas A&M. LSU has not shown the ability to run the ball consistently, and turnovers have been an issue.

Week 11: Alabama (-2.5) at LSU

No. 6: Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State being ranked sixth is justifiable, but an argument could be made that ninth or tenth is more appropriate. Penn State’s best win is probably at West Virginia, and the Mountaineers are 4-4. They also had a seven-point victory over Bowling Green, beat UCLA by 16 at home, narrowly won at USC, and comfortably won at Wisconsin before losing at home to Ohio State last weekend. For comparison's sake, the Indiana Hoosiers are unbeaten, won at UCLA by 29 (13 more than PSU beat UCLA in State College), and have zero wins by less than 14 points. The Nittany Lions can take care of business the rest of the way and host a playoff game, but they are a couple of spots high right now.

Week 11: Washington at Penn State (-13.5)

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