"Following his team's 14-7 loss at Ohio State on Saturday, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian summed up one of the biggest changes in competing for a national title in the era of the 12-team College Football Playoff. "The days of a national champion being undefeated are over," he said, "especially when you play in games like this and you play in the conference we play in.""
"Week 1's blockbuster matchups guaranteed at least one playoff contender was going down, but the Longhorns' weren't alone. Alabama lost. Clemson lost. Boise State lost. Notre Dame lost. And while there's plenty of time to recover, the early results already shook up the playoff pecking order. Here's a prediction of what the selection committee's top 12 would look like if it were released today."
"Throw out the preseason rankings and everything you thought you knew about the best teams in college football. Nobody made a bigger Week 1 statement, on the road against a team capable of winning the ACC and competing for a spot in the playoff. The committee starts from scratch, and this LSU team showed all of the components it looks for -- from a Heisman hopeful in quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to a defense that proved it's capable of playing at an elite level."
Steve Sarkisian said the days of a national champion being undefeated are over in the 12-team College Football Playoff era, especially in tough conferences. Week 1 produced multiple upsets as Texas, Alabama, Clemson, Boise State and Notre Dame all lost, immediately altering the playoff pecking order. A projected top-12 would start from scratch and reward teams that made early statements. LSU delivered a strong road statement with a Heisman-capable quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier and an elite defense. Ohio State's complete, clean performance could still earn committee favor, and early results will influence at-large seeding and first-round byes.
Read at ESPN.com
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