Does strength of schedule matter? Who was helped and hurt in first CFP rankings? - USA Today
The initial College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday, and a popular topic is always how was strength of schedule factored into the committee's rationale.
It seems Alabama was the biggest beneficiary of a strong schedule despite its 6-2 record. ESPN's FPI β which is admittedly SEC-heavy β ranks the Crimson Tide's SOS as the third-toughest in the country. That metric was one CFP committee chairman Hunter Yurachek pointed to when asked why Alabama was ranked No. 5 in Tuesday's CFP reveal.
"It really came down to the quality of teams that Alabama has played and the quality of their wins," Yurachek said. "They've got a win on the road against the team we had ranked sixth. They've got a win versus South Carolina, a team we have ranked 21st. They have a win at Mississippi State when Mississippi State was at 4-0 at full strength with that dynamic quarterback that Mississippi State had earlier in the year, and Alabama has had seven of their eight games against teams that have a .500 record or better, and I think that's what's separated them from an undefeated UCLA or a one-loss team in BYU."
Notre Dame's strength of the schedule β or lack thereof (55th) β is likely a contributing factor to the Irish landing at No. 11, despite just one loss (to No. 9 BYU).
The key to being undefeated? Play a soft schedule. The nation's three remaining unbeaten teams Miami (49th), UCLA (77th) and Utah (83rd) have had cakewalks so far, though it seemed only UCLA was penalized for it (No. 8 in CFP).
Of the teams inside the top-12 of the CFP, Texas has the hardest remaining schedule (9th), while Indiana (47th) has the easiest road.
Here's a look at the strength of schedule rankings for Top 25 teams, remaining strength of schedule and overall hardest schedule this season so far.
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