College Football Playoff Top 25 released. Should Minnesota consider this a snub?

The College Football Playoff rankings are out, and that means it’s time for the obligatory gripping about who was ranked above whom, what X means for Y, and what nightmare scenarios will put LSU, Georgia, and Alabama all in the final four.

But let’s spare ourselves one thing in the comments, huh?

We know it’s too early.

Everyone in their right fucking mind knows it’s too early. But you read bowl projections, you comment on season predictions, you engage with completely bullshit “Top 25” rankings that are either filled out by grad assistants, fat dudes in blue shirts and pleated khakis who once were renowned but today antiquated beasts called “beat writers”, or Condoleezza Rice.

Whether it’s because you want to tell those people they’re idiots, because you want to fantasize about your team finally making the Rose Bowl, or you want to correct a narrative that props up SEC teams, these stupid-ass rankings mean something to you. Once we dispel with that obligatory harrumphing and embrace our place in the relentless, Christmas-displays-at-Halloween consumerism that is the College Football Playoff rankings, the sooner we can get to telling Minnesota they’ll be outside the Top 15 after they lose to Iowa.

The Rankings

25. Appalachian St. Mountaineers
24. Kansas State Wildcats
23. Navy Midshipmen
22. Oklahoma State Cowboys
21. Boise State Broncos

20. Iowa Hawkeyes

19. Texas Longhorns
18. Memphis Tigers
17. Cincinnati Bearcats
16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

15. Michigan Wolverines
14. wisconsin badgers

13. Baylor Bears
12. Auburn Tigers
11. Florida Gators
10. Oklahoma Sooners

9. Penn State Nittany Lions
8. Minnesota Golden Gophers

7. Utah Utes
6. Oregon Ducks
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Georgia Bulldogs
3. Clemson Tigers

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

1. LSU Tigers

Observations

• Why bother with Iowa? Slap SMU or someone in here and let’s call that good. We don’t need 20 P5 teams ranked; give the Ponies some love.
• How good is the AAC West? Memphis, Cincy, and Navy all weigh in at 23 or better.
• What Thump said last week remains true: “31 points = one position in the playoff rankings.” Shouldn’t have lost to Illinois, wisconsin.
• Michigan is a fraud and I will not be convinced otherwise.
• They did they obligatory “rank Minnesota above the team they beat” thing, but this is a committee that does not think too highly of the Gophers. The Maroon and Gold trail the Utes, who lost to USC and have beaten...5-4 BYU, 3-6 Northern Illinois, FCS Idaho State, 4-5 Washington State, 4-5 Oregon State, 5-4 Arizona State, 5-4 Cal, and 6-4 Washington. So. Uh.
• Penn State really has to hope that either (1) the Pac-12 eventually gets someone into the CFP, or (2) that Utah or Oregon trip up along the way, otherwise they’re out of the NY6 as of right now.
• I’m really tired of mentioning Ohio State.