Conference championship weekend is all that stands between college football fans and bowl season -- and, of course, the College Football Playoff. That normally gives us a much clearer picture of who the Selection Committee believes is the Top 4 teams in the country. However, the 2023 season has actually given a historically little amount of clarity regarding that going into this final week.
However, we did get a big help in figuring out the Top 4 in the penultimate CFP rankings that were set to be revealed on Tuesday night with what happened in Rivalry Week. The most vital result was Michigan, for the third straight time, topping rival Ohio State in The Game. That had everyone expecting the Wolverines to jump up to No. 2, but left questions about how far the Buckeyes would fall.
Beyond that, though, other big questions were answered. The Washington Huskies survived in the Apple Cup to complete a perfect regular season, setting up a rematch with Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game with a College Football Playoff berth likely on the line. Meanwhile, Florida State survived their rivalry game in The Swamp in the first full game without Jordan Travis with a gritty win.
So what did the CFP Selection Committee see this weekend as they put together the Top 25 for the next-to-last College Football Playoff rankings? Let's take a look before we see what the college football media had to say about the latest CFP rankings.
College football rankings: Week 14 CFP Top 25
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Michigan Wolverines
- Washington Huskies
- Florida State Seminoles
- Oregon Ducks
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Texas Longhorns
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Missouri Tigers
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Oklahoma Sooners
- LSU Tigers
- Louisville Cardinals
- Arizona Wildcats
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- NC State Wolfpack
- Oregon State Beavers
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Tulane Green Wave
- Clemson Tigers
- Liberty Flames
- Kansas State Wildcats
CFB media reacts to pre-conference championship CFP rankings
Honestly, there weren't many surprises. However, the majority of the media was reacting to the placement of Ohio State within the Top 25. While it's unlikely, there is still a chaos scenario where the Buckeyes could have a case to make the Playoff. That's a big note that people will certainly have to keep an eye on over conference championship weekend.
Alas, we won't have the full picture figured out until we get to see these conference championship games play out. We haven't had full chaos in a week yet, but let's absolutely buckle in because it's coming in this final week before Selection Sunday.