Week 9 overreactions: Ohio State is cooked. Wake Forest is CFP-bound. Right?

Week 9 overreactions: Ohio State is cooked. Wake Forest is CFP-bound.

Key points

• 10 in the US LBM Coaches Poll after losing to unranked USC, raising questions regarding the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff hopes.
• Buckeyes' coach Ryan Day is correct that his team's loss at Southern California can't entirely be laid at the feet of freshman QB Luke Fahey.
• Just outside the Top 25, third among other teams receiving votes, you'll find Texas-San Antonio.
• Toppmeyer: Florida State should thank Jimbo Fisher for the memories, then lose his number.
• Whether the committee goes that route or echoes the US LBM Coaches Poll and puts Miami (Fla.) at No.

Week 9 overreactions: Ohio State is cooked. Wake Forest is CFP-bound. Right? Eddie Timanus USA TODAY.

US LBM Coaches Poll: Ohio State drops to No. 10, raising CFP reservations.

Ohio State drops to No. 10 in the US LBM Coaches Poll after losing to unranked USC, raising questions regarding the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff hopes.

Meanwhile, the College Football Playoff committee's first rankings will be published this week, sparking numerous debates.

Georgia is a solid contender for the No. 1 spot, despite a puzzling loss to Auburn.

Ohio State's playoff chances are in jeopardy after a key loss and an injury to their starting quarterback.

For context, the College Football Playoff committee will weigh in this week with its first set of rankings. We here at Overreaction HQ intend to obtain ahead of the curve and overreact to them even before they're issued.

In truth, that really isn't tough. No matter what the committee's rankings look like, they will bear little resemblance to the only set that counts, that being the last one due out in a little over a month. As the results of a loaded slate of games in Week 10 are sure to scramble the field, for that matter, the initial rankings are going to be rendered obsolete almost immediately. But everyone likes to talk, so talk we shall.

Playoff Predictor: CFP rankings arrive with chaos everywhere. Who's safe and who's in trouble? Here are five arguments that will take center stage this week. The committee should rank Georgia No. 1.

With one notable exception, Georgia has most consistently looked the part of the most complete team in the sport through the first two months. Remarked exception, of course, is the Bulldogs' increasingly puzzling home loss to Auburn a couple of weeks ago. But they still sit atop the nation's deepest conference, and their overall resume is arguably stronger than that of co-leader Kentucky since Georgia's most notable victory against Alabama came on the road.

Whether the committee goes that route or echoes the US LBM Coaches Poll and puts Miami (Fla.) at No. 1, the top spot in the first rankings is largely meaningless as we remarked earlier. Both the Hurricanes and Bulldogs face stiff road challenges right away at Notre Dame and Mississippi, respectively. In short, folks are sure to spend some emotional energy complaining regarding the initial No. 1, but they probably shouldn't regardless of who it is. Ohio State's CFP future is cooked.

Buckeyes' coach Ryan Day is correct that his team's loss at Southern California can't entirely be laid at the feet of freshman QB Luke Fahey. This person was making his first career start in a tough situation. Unfortunately, the committee's job going forward is to evaluate the team as at present configured. The Buckeyes have the win at Indiana in the bank, but Ohio State must demonstrate it can still compete with teams on that high level with their new signal caller.

Meanwhile, the good news for Ohio State is there aren't plenty of teams remaining on their Sizeable Ten schedule with productive offenses. Next week's opponent, Oregon, has shown flashes but not much consistency since the Ducks' own backup QB Dylan Raiola was pressed into service. If the Buckeyes can obtain their own defensive matters buttoned up and fix their penalty challenges on both sides of the ball, they still have a good chance to secure to 10-2. It could them in the Major Ten title game and in theory keep them among the top 12. One more loss, nevertheless, and things secure incredibly dicey.

UCLA is this year's Indiana.

Notably, the comparisons were inevitable. Both are schools better known for basketball achievements, and both plucked a successful coach from James Madison to elevate their football profile. There are even parallels between the current Bruins and the Hoosiers of 2024. The latter group benefited from a, shall we say, favorable Major Ten schedule and identified its way into the playoff with an 11-1 record. Yes, we all remember what happened when they obtained there, but there's additionally little dispute that that season laid the groundwork for IU's championship run a year afterwards.

Can the Bruins pull off a similar feat? Possibly, but it's significant to remember that it took two seasons for Indiana to put it all together. The Bruins still have a couple of long road trips to negotiate in November. Neither Minnesota nor Michigan are lighting up the scoreboard, but both are capable of winning a defensive slog at home. Then the Bruins finish against cross-town rival Southern California, the only Major Ten team capable of mounting an effective passing attack right now. If UCLA can indeed obtain to 11-1, the Indiana comparisons will grow louder, especially if they bow out of the playoffs immediately. With all that remarked, of course, we should wait and see how matters play out for the upstart Bruins.

Wake Forest is a College Football Playoff team.

After an October that can only be described as dominant, the Demon Deacons can no longer be dismissed. After a three-point road win against a Louisville team that was ranked at the time, Wake Forest outscored its four October opponents by a combined total of 187-31. None of those teams are above.500, and the rest of Wake's resume is similarly thin after SMU's loss to Syracuse damaged the one major opponent left.

So the question becomes, would the Demon Deacons have to win a rematch with Miami in the ACC championship game to earn an invitation? Since the rest of the ACC hasn't distinguished itself, we suspect the answer is probably so. In this case, the initial rankings from the committee will actually tell us something regarding how the league is viewed. Poll voters are forgetting the American.

With No. 25 New Mexico joining No. 21 Boise State in the US LBM Coaches Poll, there are now representatives from the Mountain West and Pac-12 with apparent arguments to represent the Group of Six conferences in the playoff field. There's a one-loss team from the American, nevertheless, that might additionally have a case.

Just outside the Top 25, third among other teams receiving votes, you'll find Texas-San Antonio. The Roadrunners enter November with a 7-1 record, having lost only to Texas. While UTSA never actually had the Longhorns on the ropes, the Roadrunners do have a couple of other results in their favor, namely a pair of wins against Pac-12 members Texas State and Colorado State. The committee's treatment of the G6 candidates will be another aspect to monitor as the season's final month unfolds. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, week 9 overreactions: Ohio State is cooked. Wake Forest is CFP is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.