The second edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings for the 2022 season were released on Tuesday, and there was a significant shakeup at the top. Georgia, fresh off its most impressive showing of the year in a dominant win over No. 5 Tennessee, vaulted into the No. 1 spot. The Bulldogs were followed by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 TCU. Alabama and Clemson fell out of the top four after losses to LSU and Notre Dame, respectively, which opened the door for TCU to jump into the fold after its comeback win over Texas Tech.
The top four seems relatively clear-cut at this point. After all, they are the only undefeated teams remaining at the FBS level. The contenders are lurking, though, as Pac-12 power Oregon jumped to No. 6 and a surging LSU team chimed in at No. 7. But where did the CFP Selection Committee miss the mark this week? Here are the most overrated and underrated teams for the second edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Overrated: No. 9 Alabama
Reputation isn't supposed to be factored in to the decisions made by the CFP Selection Committee, but it's clear that Alabama gets an exception. Yes, the Crimson Tide's two losses have come on the last play of the game, but their issues are much deeper than that.
The lack of discipline on the road -- nine or more accepted penalties in each of its four away games -- isn't a characteristic of top-10 teams. The inability to protect the quarterback is concerning, and that has been a constant theme regardless of where the game is played. Alabama only has one win over a ranked team, a 20-19 victory over No. 18 Texas, which isn't exactly something to write home about. A team isn't elite if it loses its big games, even if that team is clad in crimson and white.
Could things change? Of course. Alabama has a road game against No. 11 Ole Miss on Saturday in the SEC on CBS Game of the Week. That Rebels team has one of the most potent offenses in the country, and Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is one of the most underrated environments in the country. A win there might help restore some confidence in this squad.
Underrated: No. 12 UCLA
Why are there three teams separating UCLA and USC? Well, name brand, probably. The Bruins have wins over two ranked teams -- No. 13 Utah and No. 25 Washington -- and has scored 30 or more points in every game this season. The dynamic attack of quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet has been one of the best in the game. Charbonnet is currently nursing an unspecified injury, though it isn't expected to linger, so there's no reason it should be discussed in the committee room.
Coach Chip Kelly has developed the Bruins into the perfect Pac-12 contender. They are physical at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and are capable of winning inside or outside of their comfort zone.
Overrated: No. 8 USC
The Trojans don't have a win over a current top-25 team, and its claim to fame this year is a wild loss at No. 13 Utah. Seriously? The committee is going to reward signature losses? That seems to be the case. The Trojans nearly threw away a lead last weekend at California, have struggled defensively since mid-October and have been hard to trust on a quarter-by-quarter basis.
Sure, quarterback Caleb Williams is a great player and first-year coach Lincoln Riley has the program going in the right direction. But it seems like the Trojans are getting the same name-brand privilege as Alabama.
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Underrated: No. 15 North Carolina
Ok, so let's break down the differences between the Tar Heels and No. 10 Clemson. Both teams lost to Notre Dame in games that neither controlled all that much. The Tar Heels, however, have won five straight games and the defense, which had proven to be a liability at some points, actually hasn't played that bad. They have held opponents under 30 points in four of their last five games. That might not seem like a huge deal, but it is by this team's standards.
Clemson, on the other hand, has looked like a sinking ship for the last month due in large part to an offense that never seemed to get cranked up under junior DJ Uiagalelei. That finally cost them last weekend in a 35-14 loss to the Fighting Irish that was actually much worse than the score indicates. Others may disagree, and that's fine, but a five-spot difference between Clemson and North Carolina is just ridiculous.
