Roundtable: Washington State football still ranked 8th. Is that too low?
By Ed Stein
This is the second month of Emerald City Swagger’s college football roundtable. Washington State football remains eighth in the playoff rankings. Is that too low? We asked our contributors for their opinions.
The College Football Playoff Committee released their second set of rankings this week. After a hard fought win over Cal, Washington State football maintained its ranking. We asked our contributors to weigh in on this question. Washington State held the 8th spot in the college football playoff rankings. Are they undervalued by the championship committee?
Joel Carpenter, Contributor
Are the Cougars undervalued? In short, no. The Cougars have done some incredible things this season, but haven’t dominated opponents along the way. It’s impressive that they’ve found ways to win and great that they’ve risen to the occasion week after week.
That said, with the exception of the recent Oregon win (a win they almost “Couged” once again) they’ve struggled. Even with bringing one of the most explosive offenses and a top-tier quarterback into every game this season, they have found it difficult to separate themselves from many opponents.
Considering they started not ranked to begin the season, sitting at eighth is quite an accomplishment. Should they find a way to finish the season at 12-1 with a PAC-12 championship and an eighth seed still being attached to their name, the question should be revisited.
I would say that the Cougars are right where they belong with the lack of quality wins and struggles against teams that certainly haven’t been stiff competition. If teams ranked ahead of them falter, the Cougars belong in the playoff discussion. That is IF they find a way to run the table.