I have kind of a hard time describing the concept of playground rankings. Which, well, isn’t a good way to start. Here we go, though!
Basically, playground rankings refer to which fanbase has bragging rights over another, in the way that kids on playgrounds instinctively know who holds the power. Might one fanbase be able to convince itself it’s higher than it is? Sure, but with the playground rankings, deep down, those fans are either delusional or they’re wrong. Maybe an example we can work with for this is Ohio State and Michigan. Michigan might say to itself, “We own Ohio State, we just beat them,” but deep down, if Ohio State and Michigan look one another in the eye, they know who rules the roost. It’s still Ohio State’s world.
Playground rankings are not linear. We can’t go 1-130 through the FBS schools. Kansas holds the power over Texas. Texas holds the power over Texas A&M. Texas A&M, were the two compared, would hold the power over Kansas. Still, at the top, there’s a hierarchy, and that hierarchy is effectively a reflection of the top college football programs in the country at the moment. So let’s talk through the top.
Not Ranked: Everybody Not Listed Here, but Particularly Notre Dame
Last year, Notre Dame was on this list. This year, they’re not. Too many teams hold the power over Notre Dame, most notably Oklahoma State, who embarrassed the Irish in a big bowl Notre Dame desperately wanted to win. Yes, Notre Dame’s one of the few teams to make multiple playoffs. But they just aren’t at a level at this moment to be included in the top tier.
Others were considered as well, with Cincinnati a notable exclusion. They might be seventh, speaking realistically, but we didn’t want to overreact, and they still live in enough fear of losing Luke Fickell at any moment (Ryan Day’s getting NFL rumblings, guys), that they’re still in one-hit wonder territory in terms of ethos.
6. Oklahoma
Why is Oklahoma still on this list if Notre Dame isn’t? Well, Oklahoma has two things working in its favor. First off, it has a good vibe right now. Bob Stoops got the team a bowl-game win, everyone thinks poorly of Lincoln Riley as a guy you’d want in your foxhole if not as a football coach, and it feels like Brent Venables can do well in Norman. Secondly, though, who can say shit to Oklahoma besides the five teams ahead of them on this list? Oklahoma State’s lost Bedlam six of the last seven years, and sixteen of the last nineteen years. Nobody else is even in the Oklahoma conversation.
Congratulations, Sooners. You’re still holding on. Might need to sneak in to next year’s field to stay here, though.
5. Ohio State
Ohio State is a natural fifth. It’s been a while since they won a title, but they’ve done it, and they’ve often been in the conversation. Had they just made the playoff this year, they’d probably be fourth, but they didn’t, and, well…
4. LSU
LSU won it with an Ohio State castoff, and was the most dominant team in recent memory that didn’t get overshadowed by playing in a pandemic season (sorry, 2020 Alabama). Tank of a team, electric factory in terms of the hype and excitement and all that…2019 LSU can carry this program for a while. Even hiring someone as widely unliked as Brian Kelly (not always disliked, but always unliked) isn’t dragging the Tigers down just yet.
3. Clemson
There was some debate here between second and third, because Clemson was so dominant so recently, but the Tigers are in an uncertain-enough place and Dabo Swinney is so obviously a weirdo and often not in a good way that Clemson, though it passes LSU (who was second in last year’s rankings), gets passed as well. Third isn’t a bad place to be, but Clemson might not ever be this high again.
2. Georgia
They did it. They won a title. They took a great team and won a national championship with it, and while they don’t have the body of work Clemson does, if you wanted to bet on who’ll be the better team over the next decade between the two (better team, not necessarily most playoff appearances), you’d be a fool to not take the Dawgs. There’s no reason to think Georgia will get significantly worse in the next few years, and playing in the SEC East, they have some space to work if they can become a program that doesn’t lose games to bad teams.
1. Alabama
Still, though, Alabama outranks Georgia. This is a rivalry, of course, but it’s not an even match just yet. The Tide remain the king of the raft. Georgia would probably need to repeat next year, and go through Alabama again, for that to change.
