We are at the midpoint of the season and only two weeks away from the first CFP rankings.

Based on historical results, I expect the CFP rankings and the ER rankings to be very similar for top-4 (disregarding order) and somewhat similar for the top-12 (disregarding order). Obvious potential differences will be JMU and Liberty that do well using the ER methodology but have an uphill battle against P5 schools in terms of traditional ranking systems.

Big changes / notes this week:

• Michigan/Oklahoma at #1/#2 - mild surprise Michigan gained enough this week to take the #1 spot from OU (bye week). Although the Wolverines don’t have a signature win, they are the only school with 7 FBS wins to date. Expect them to stay on top for another week (vs. MSU) before their bye.
• UW/Oregon at #3/#22 - Big drop for Oregon (9 spots). They only have 4 FBS wins, and their best win (vs Colorado) took a hit on Friday. UW jumped a couple.
• Georgia at #13 - The Bulldogs won yet gained zero ER and lost a spot in the rankings? Well, all 5 of their previous FBS opponents lost this week so their strength of wins took a hit. I’m getting a little worried Georgia may not make the top-4 cut in the first CFP rankings in two weeks. Lol - I’m not actually worried (though they may not be top-4 in ER by that time)
• OSU / Penn St at #7/#10 - Time for the top B1G teams to start playing each other. Great matchup and chance for some rising/falling in the ER.