SEC occupies four of top 10 spots in latest CFP ranking

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the SEC is receiving favoritism in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The latest edition of the CFP rankings for the 2022 college football season were released on Tuesday. Georgia unsurprisingly and deservedly was at No. 1, while undefeated teams Ohio State, Michigan and TCU rounded out the top four.

Tennessee, which is 8-1 and just lost to No. 1 Georgia, was ranked No. 5. Oregon, another 8-1 team, was No. 6. And then the SEC favoritism began.

LSU, which is 7-2, was ranked No. 7, ahead of a 1-loss USC team. Alabama, which is also 7-2, was ranked No. 9, ahead of three 1-loss teams (Clemson, Ole Miss and UCLA).

Bob Corrigan, who is the CFP Selection Committee Chair, is sending a mixed message.

“We value wins,” Corrigan said on ESPN of ranking 9-0 TCU at No. 4.

On one hand, the CFP says it values wins, but on another, they rank 2-loss LSU and Alabama teams ahead of several 1-loss teams that have more wins.

Additionally, Georgia is the No. 1 team in the country, while another SEC team (Tennessee) is next in line to make the CFP at No. 5.

The CFP may be trying to do the rankings as fairly as possible, but their SEC bias is evident as ever. In almost any spot where there was a question, SEC teams were given an edge.