Washington need not worry about playing catchup in CFP rankings

— -- That the College Football Playoff rankings differ so markedly from the media polls is perhaps the biggest sign of the wisdom of the selection committee waiting until November to make its first decision. Preseason polls are an exercise in dart throwing, and speaking as a former 17-year AP voter, as well as someone who participates in the ESPN Power Rankings, I can attest to how easy it is to get locked into a viewpoint. That said, I am in no way, shape or form advocating to dump the polls. They're fun. And they serve their original purpose: to sell newspapers (and, these days, clicks).

4. The Campbell Trophy finalists announced by the National Football Foundation are a mix of 12 players with big names and small, from big schools and small, all of whom share in common a high GPA and the ability to play college football. Quarterbacks Taysom Hill of BYU, Zach Terrell of No. 23 Western Michigan, and Cooper Rush of Central Michigan are the stars of the list, but a special shout out goes to Duke safety DeVon Edwards, a finalist despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in September. The finalists receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. The winner, announced at the Hall of Fame dinner in New York on Dec. 6, will receive an additional $7,000 grant.

5. When the conference commissioners created the College Football Playoff, they debated at length over whether a team must win its conference to reach the semifinals. They decided against that requirement in order to ensure the playoff got the four best teams, not the four best conference champions. However, the commissioners didn't extend the same logic to the Group of 5 conferences when awarding them a New Year's Six bowl slot. No. 23 Western Michigan is only one slot ahead of No. 24 Boise State. But the latter Broncos, after losing at Wyoming on Saturday, need the Cowboys to lose twice in order to win the MWC West. I understand the hackles that would be raised if a nonchampion got the berth. But why pick the best team in one instance and not the other?