SI:AM | The CFP Committee’s First No. 1

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Props to our news team for handling major breaking news stories in the middle of the night on back-to-back days.

In today’s SI:AM:

1️⃣ The first CFP rankings

???? The Rangers are one win away

???? The latest Michigan scandal twist

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The playoff field is taking shape

There’s a new No. 1 team in college football.

While defending champion Georgia has been ranked at the top of the AP poll all season, the College Football Playoff committee didn’t put the Bulldogs in the top spot when it released its first rankings yesterday.

The committee’s top five looks like this:

1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Michigan
4. Florida State
5. Washington

(See Pat Forde’s detailed breakdown of the full 25-team rankings here.)

The Buckeyes earned the top spot on the strength of its two impressive wins—on the road against Notre Dame and at home vs. Penn State. None of the other four undefeated Power 5 schools can boast two wins over AP top-10 opponents.

With five power-conference undefeateds left standing, someone had to be the odd team out, and Washington seems like a fair choice. The Huskies won a crucial showdown against Oregon (No. 6 in the committee’s rankings) on Oct. 14 but have been shaky in recent weeks, squeaking out a 15–7 win over Arizona State and 42–33 over Stanford, two teams that are a combined 4–12 this season. Washington will have plenty of chances to prove it deserves a spot in the four-team field, though. Its next three games are against teams ranked in the committee’s top 20 (USC, Utah and Oregon State), with two of them coming on the road. If the Huskies are still undefeated after that gantlet, they’ll make the committee’s job harder.

Georgia’s schedule is also about to get a whole lot tougher. The Bulldogs missed out on the top spot because their schedule has been a breeze. They haven’t played anyone ranked in the committee’s top 25, but their next three games are against No. 12 Mizzou, No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 17 Tennessee. We’re about to find out just how good the defending champs are.

On the other hand, Florida State’s remaining schedule presents a relatively clear path to an undefeated finish. The Seminoles will face Pitt (2–6) this weekend, a Miami team that just struggled to beat a 2–6 Virginia team, North Alabama and close the season against Florida, which is having a down year. The biggest threat to FSU’s playoff hopes will be the ACC championship game (which is shaping up to be against No. 13 Louisville) or some chicanery by the committee that lifts a one-loss team with a stronger schedule into the fourth spot.

With five weeks left before Selection Sunday, there’s bound to be plenty of movement in the rankings. Because Ohio State and Michigan still have to play each other, it’s literally impossible for there to be five undefeated teams left standing when the committee announces the final four-team playoff field Dec. 3.

So which one-loss teams are in position to move up into the top four? The committee has already signaled that it is impressed with Oregon by making the Ducks the top one-loss team in the initial rankings. A potential rematch with Washington in the Pac-12 title game would give Oregon a chance to improve its already impressive résumé. Texas is ranked seventh, a curious decision by the committee considering Oklahoma, which beat the Longhorns in their annual rivalry game, is No. 9. If either of those teams runs the table en route to a Big 12 title, it’d be worthy of playoff consideration. And don’t sleep on No. 8 Alabama. The Tide’s only loss thus far came against Texas, but they’ve rebounded with ranked wins over Ole Miss and Tennessee, with another ranked opponent (No. 14 LSU) coming to Tuscaloosa this weekend. The Tigers are the last major hurdle standing between Alabama and a trip to the SEC championship game, likely against Georgia. It isn’t out of the question that the Tide could find themselves in the playoff field yet again.

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Marcus Semien and Corey Seager powered the Rangers to victory in Game 4 last night, bringing Texas within one game of its first championship in its history. Stephanie Apstein writes that it was appropriate those two guys—who jump-started the team’s rebuild—played such a big role.
• Emma Baccellieri previews tonight’s Game 5, with Zac Gallen seeking to save the Diamondbacks’ season.
• On the opposing side of the spectrum, Emma also wrote about the origins of the pool in Arizona’s outfield.
• Pat Forde has the news on the latest bizarre twist in Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal. Now, Connor Stalions is accused of infiltrating the Central Michigan sideline.
• The lowly Bears trading for Montez Sweat may seem like a head-scratcher, but Conor Orr defends the move.
• Matt Verderame thinks the Vikings trading for Joshua Dobbs might be enough to keep them on the periphery of the playoff hunt.
• Rohan Nadkarni spoke with Max Strus about his hot start with the Cavs.
• Here are Michael Fabiano’s fantasy football Start ’Em, Sit ’Em recommendations for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and defenses.
• The Raiders cleared house last night, firing coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.

The top five...

… things I saw last night:

5. The snowy scene before Toledo’s game against Buffalo. The snow subsided by the start of the game, and the Rockets’ Jacquez Stuart took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown.

4. Corey Seager’s third home run of the World Series. He’s on his way to joining Reggie Jackson as the only position players with multiple World Series MVP awards.

3. Victor Wembanyama’s Slender Man costume.

2. Wembanyama’s crossover on Kevin Durant and poster dunk.

1. Keldon Johnson’s game-winning steal for the Spurs.

SIQ

On this day in 1959, which NHL team’s goalie became the first to wear a mask on his face during a game?

• Rangers
• Maple Leafs
• Bruins
• Canadiens

Answer: Canadiens. In the first period of a game against the Rangers, Jacques Plante was hit in the face by a shot from New York’s Andy Bathgate. The puck opened up a gash from Plante’s mouth to his nose. According to Hall of Fame Montreal Star writer Red Fisher, the cut was pretty nasty.

“When I went into the room [where Plante was being patched up], there he was in front of the mirror running his fingers over and spreading the cuts,” Fisher recalled in a 2008 interview with the CBC. “He said to me, ‘Pretty ugly, isn’t it?’ And I responded, ‘Well, you have a good scar, Jacques.’”

Plante had the cut stitched closed and wanted to return to the ice, but he couldn’t risk taking another puck to the face and suffering more damage. So Plante retrieved a mask that he had been wearing in practices and wore it when he returned to the ice later in the game.

Plante had been experimenting with various masks for years (a 2019 NHL.com article has photos of some prototypes) but had never before worn one in a game. Old-school hockey types had scoffed at the idea of goalies wearing masks, believing the protection could negatively impact their vision. But Plante continued to be one of the league’s best goalies after he began wearing the mask, helping to popularize its usage.

Yesterday’s SIQ: Where was Nick Saban’s first head coaching job?

• Kent State
• Toledo
• Michigan State
• Eastern Michigan

Answer: Toledo. After his playing career at Kent State, Saban held a number of assistant coaching jobs at his alma mater, Syracuse, Michigan State, Ohio State, West Virginia and Navy. He spent two seasons coaching defensive backs for the Houston Oilers, after which he was hired as the head coach at Toledo.

Saban coached the Rockets for only one year, going 9–2. After the season, he was hired by the Cleveland Browns as their defensive coordinator, which was the last assistant coaching job he ever held.