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Once again, we’re going to go through this line by line, team by team, and come up with the right team at the right spot wherever possible.

You can still go by what’s happened on the field, and you have to – it’s only fair. If you don’t go by head-to-head results – in the absence of other losses or factors – then what’s the point of even playing the games?

You got all that high-minded blather?

For example, take the Pac-12 South situation. USC is 3-3 with a win over Arizona State, and nothing else of note. Arizona State beat a UCLA team whose one decent win came over BYU. BYU beat Boise State, Boise State beat Washington, Washington beat USC. So now what? In that case, it’s about making the right call, but while looking at the schedules to do it and determining that the BYU win over Boise State was a wee bit of a late fluke on the road, but it also got a bit lucky at home against Washington.

On a lower level, what about Nevada? The Wolf Pack lost to a miserable Wyoming team, but they also blew out New Mexico, who rocked Wyoming. Then it can be about who the better team probably is based on eye test and belief.

Please don’t bail on this quite yet – and when you see how this all has to be done right now to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Look, Alabama is the best team in college football and should be No. 1, but it’s not possible to go by what’s happened so far and make it so. With that in mind, based solely on records and schedules so far, this is what the College Football Playoff committee has to do.

1. Utah (6-0)

This is hardly the best-looking team in college football, but the win over Arizona State to stop a long dry spell against the team adds on to the already fantastic resume. The Utes beat Michigan, blasting Oregon, gave Cal its only loss, and got it done against the Sun Devils. For now, that’s good enough.

2. LSU (6-0)

Finally, LSU has an excellent win to go along with the okay victory over Mississippi State. Getting by Florida sets the tone for the showdown against Alabama in early November, but first, the Tigers have to watch out for a dangerous WKU team and its high-powered attack.

3. Florida (6-1)

Florida may have lost on Saturday night in Death Valley, but the Gators still control their destiny, and proved that they can play with any team in the country. Jim McElwain is doing a masterful job with the cards he’s been dealt, and now has two weeks to further adjust his offense to Treon Harris’ skill set for the Georgia showdown. A win over the Bulldogs and it’s hard to envision a situation where the Gators wouldn’t make the SEC title game. 

4. Baylor (6-0)

The resume might stink, but the offense is playing at such a high level that it’s looking absolutely unstoppable. The Bears toyed with West Virginia before finishing with 62 on the board. They’ve scored 56 or more in every game this year, with the win over SMU being the only time they dipped below 60. Expect more of the same against Iowa State and Kansas State before dealing with Oklahoma.

5. Ohio State (7-0)

Okay, fine, this one’s on belief as much as anything else. Sort of like Baylor, the schedule isn’t any good, but the defense stuffed a woeful Penn State offense, Ezekiel Elliott continues to look great, and the talent is still undeniable. More than anything else, it just doesn’t feel right to put the No. 6 team higher.

6. Memphis (6-0)

PLEASE … don’t leave. Unfortunately, you have to do it this way right now. Before beating Ole Miss, the best Memphis win came either against Cincinnati or Bowling Green, but it’s still unbeaten and there’s only one game to go on at this point. The Tigers beat Ole Miss, who beat Alabama, so for this week – and for a while, considering the next two games are against Tulsa and Tulane – yeah, sorry, it has to be Memphis ahead of Ole Miss, and Ole Miss ahead of Alabama. We don’t like it any more than you do, but you could also make a case that the resume is better than Baylor’s and Ohio State’s.

7. Ole Miss (5-2)

Would Alabama beat Ole Miss in a rematch? Absolutely, and probably by a lot, but that’s a projection. What we know is that Ole Miss beat Alabama. It might not sit right, but for now, this is the way it has to be.

8. Alabama (6-1)

Eventually this whole thing will correct itself. Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country right now with wins over Wisconsin, Georgia and Texas A&M all away from home, but Ole Miss has to lose to a team Bama beat to finally break free. If the Aggies take care of the Rebels next week, then the lone loss is negated and the Crimson Tide can move up.

9. TCU (7-0)

TCU might be terrific, but it struggled way too much with a Kansas State team that got its doors blown off by Oklahoma, and it took a bit of a fight to get by Iowa State and Minnesota. The chances are coming soon to fly up.

10. Iowa (7-0)

It’s time to give it up to an Iowa schedule that’s starting to look better and better. Pitt only has one loss – to Iowa. Wisconsin has only two losses – to Alabama and Iowa. The Northwestern win in Evanston – especially in a blowout – isn’t bad, either. TCU blew out Iowa State easier than Iowa did, but that’s nitpicking for a team that’ll be favored to go 12-0.

11. Michigan State (7-0)

Should Michigan State get credit for that ridiculous miracle? Sort of. The Spartans have to be ranked ahead of the Wolverines now, but it’s hard to start believing that Sparty really is that great.

12. Michigan (5-2)

There’s no need to punish Michigan any more than it has to be for a loss like that. However, the Northwestern win doesn’t seem like such a big deal now and the Oregon State victory doesn’t matter.

13. Clemson (6-0)

It’s all about the win over Notre Dame, because there’s nothing else to give Clemson credit for. Appalachian State might actually be the second-best win considering Louisville and Georgia Tech are having massing issues. Playing Miami next week will help.

14. Florida State (6-0)

That was a more impressive performance and blowout win over Louisville in hindsight than it seemed at the time. If Everett Golson can keep playing like that when he has to, this is going to be a dangerous team. The world is sleeping on the Noles.

15. Notre Dame (6-1)

Beating USC right now is about as difficult as getting McDonald’s breakfast after 10 am. Notre Dame has just one win over a team with a winning record, Navy.

16. Texas A&M (5-1)

There’s not need to push the Aggies down the pecking order for losing to Alabama, even at home. However, the Arkansas and Arizona State wins don’t have a whole bunch of luster.

17. Oklahoma State (6-0)

It’s coming soon. The Cowboys will be 8-0 after playing Kansas and Texas Tech, but TCU is coming up in early November The close call wins over Kansas State and West Virginia don’t seem so hot now.

18. California (5-1)

Now, beating Texas, Washington and Washington State seems okay, and the loss to Utah is hardly anything to get into a twist over. However, it’s time for a big win, and while UCLA might not really count as one, it’ll seem like it if the Bears can pull it off on Thursday night.

19. Northwestern (5-2)

As bad as Northwestern has been against Michigan and Iowa over the last two weeks, you still have to do it. Duke’s only loss is to the Wildcats, and the win over Stanford still has to count. No matter how it happened, it still has to factor into the equation.

20. Stanford (5-1)

Right now this might be one of the top five teams in college football, but it’s the Alabama problem. The Crimson Tide can’t be ranked higher than Ole Miss, and Stanford can’t be ranked higher than Northwestern. Get used to this, because there’s no way it can change for a while.

21. Texas (2-4)

How great does that Oklahoma win look now? The Texas losses were to Notre Dame, TCU, Cal and Oklahoma State, and they’re all ranked higher.

22. Oklahoma (5-1)

Seriously, Oklahoma, stop doing that. Just when it seems like you’re just okay, you go and stomp all over Kansas State on the road. If Texas loses to Kansas State next week, then the Sooners can break free from being ranked this low.

23. Wisconsin (5-2)

The Nebraska win looks better now after the Huskers blasted Minnesota, but that Iowa loss is going to be haunting. The Badgers aren’t going to lose the rest of the way, and the Hawkeyes aren’t going to lose twice.

24. Texas Tech (5-2)

Okay, Red Raiders. You get credit for The Big Salad for beating Arkansas, and even though you struggled too much against Kansas, you’re 5-2 with the two losses coming to TCU and Baylor. Beat Oklahoma, and then we’ll really talk.

25. Pitt (5-1)

This is more about the one loss than the five wins. Pitt lost at Iowa by 27-24, and that’s it. The best win, though it Virginia Tech. Beating Georgia Tech right now isn’t anything great.

No. 26-128 College Football Rankings

26. Mississippi State (4-2)

27. Auburn (4-2)

28. Toledo (6-0)

29. Arkansas (2-4)

30. Tennessee (3-3)

31. Georgia (5-2)

32. BYU (5-2)

33. West Virginia (3-3)

34. Washington State (4-2)

35. Oregon (4-3)

36. Washington (3-3)

37. USC (3-3)

38. Utah State (4-2)

39. Boise State (5-2)

40. Arizona State (4-3)

41. UCLA (4-2)

42. Arizona (5-2)

43. Temple (6-0)

44. Penn State (5-2)

45. Houston (6-0)

46. Kansas State (3-3)

47. Kentucky (4-2)

48. Missouri (4-3)

49. Cincinnati (3-3)

50. Miami (4-2)

51. South Carolina (3-4)

52. North Carolina (5-1)

53. Illinois (4-2)

54. Louisville (2-4)

55. Navy (4-1)

56. Nebraska (3-4)

57. Duke (5-1)

58. Minnesota (4-3)

59. Virginia Tech (3-4)

60. East Carolina (4-3)

61. NC State (4-2)

62. Georgia Tech (2-5)

63. Rutgers (3-3)

64. Indiana (4-3)

65. Maryland (2-4)

66. Bowling Green (5-2)

67. South Florida (3-3)

68. Virginia (2-4)

69. Syracuse (3-3)

70. Wake Forest (3-4)

71. Boston College (3-4)

72. Georgia Southern (5-1)

73. Western Michigan (3-3)

74. Central Michigan (3-4)

75. Northern Illinois (4-3)

76. Ohio (5-2)

77. WKU (6-1)

78. Iowa State (2-4)

79. Louisiana Tech (4-3)

80. Marshall (6-1)

81. Southern Miss (4-3)

82. Arkansas State (3-3)

83. South Alabama (3-3)

84. San Diego State (3-3)

85. Colorado (3-4)

86. Vanderbilt (2-4)

87. Appalachian State (5-1)

88. Purdue (1-6)

89. Colorado State (3-4)

90. Air Force (3-3)

91. Middle Tennessee (3-4)

92. Oregon State (2-4)

93. San Jose State (3-4)

94. Rice (3-3)

95. Tulsa (3-3)

96. Akron (3-4)

97. Kent State (3-4)

98. FIU (3-4)

99. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-3)

100. Massachusetts (1-5)

101. Old Dominion (3-3)

102. Fresno State (2-5)

103. UNLV (2-5)

104. Nevada (4-3)

105. Buffalo (2-3)

106. Connecticut (3-4)

107. Kansas (1-5)

108. New Mexico (4-3)

109. Hawaii (2-5)

110. UTSA (1-6)

111. UTEP (2-4)

112. Texas State (1-4)

113. Tulane (2-4)

114. ULM (1-5)

115. Army West Point (2-5)

116. UCF (0-7)

117. Florida Atlantic (1-5)

118. SMU (1-5)

119. Charlotte (2-4)

120. Miami University (1-6)

121. Eastern Michigan (1-5)

122. Wyoming (1-6)

123. Georgia State (2-4)

124. Ball State (2-5)

125. Idaho (2-4)

126. Troy (1-5)

127. North Texas (0-6)

128. New Mexico State (0-6)

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