This LSU # 7 stays ahead of the No. 8 Washington state in this week's college football playoff standings is the latest referendum on the SEC's hopes of again placing two teams in the semifinal .

Washington State is the only opponent of the Pac-12, which is also a jumble of contenders pretenders, while LSU, two defeats, is the SEC's third team in the top seven in the standings, two-seater ° 5 Georgia. LSU has no chance of winning its own division, let alone securing a place in the semifinals. Nevertheless, the committee has strengthened its fondness for the SEC by not downplaying the Tigers in the 29-0 defeat of the weekend against Alabama, No.1.

This is a statement on how the committee views the SEC – not only the best conference in the country, but also the best conference of a wide range of views on its closest rival, be it the Big Ten or the Big 12.

But this is not the only example. Kentucky lost just two places in 11th place after being revealed as a contender for a defeat against Georgia. Florida remained in the top 15 despite a nasty loss in Missouri, previously without a win in SEC.

This week's standings even saw Auburn return to No. 24 after a strong win over Texas A & M. The three tigers do not have the resume to rank in the top 25.

You can see it in the rankings: Once again, the committee believes that the SEC has earned the benefit of the doubt. With chaos almost inevitably on the horizon, the league is positioned to enjoy it.

Here's what the committee was right and wrong in this week's standings:

Right

– Notre Dame No. 3 remained from Michigan No. 4. One would think that it would be obvious, since the Irish dominated the Wolverines at the beginning of the season and remained undefeated. Some still thought that the committee could value the Michigan record, which was otherwise strong, and its recent performance to outpace the Irish and ranks third in this week's standings.

This was not the case, which gives two takeaways. First, it should strengthen the belief that Our Lady is unbeaten; it is an absolute datum. From Michigan's point of view, keeping a spot in Georgia despite the Bulldogs' win against Kentucky reinforces the idea that Michigan is on the field 12-1 and that the victors against the Ohio State and in the match for the Big Ten title.

– There was a little respect for the ACC. This league was an afterthought at the national level because of Clemson's dominance. But the CAC is a very good conference, believe it or not, and the committee recognized that fact by placing three more teams in the top 20.

Number 13 Syracuse has a major meeting against Notre Dame, with a victory likely to send the Orange New Year's bowl. Having the state of North Carolina in 14th place might seem difficult – the Wolfpack should be traded against the 17th Boston College, which should give Clemson a match in the key match of the ACC on Saturday.

False

– Central Florida should not be behind two lost SEC teams. Not both, at least. LSU probably has enough to stay ahead of the No. 12 Knights thanks to a nice list of wins, especially considering the committee's views on teams such as Mississippi State and Auburn. That UCF stays behind Kentucky is a little harder to understand.

It's not the Wildcats that do not have solid victories: the state of Mississippi is a good player, and dominating Florida is still remarkable, despite the recent fall of the Gators. The Wildcats did not look for the role for most of the month, a period that includes the 17-point loss to the Bulldogs and lousy victories over Vanderbilt and Missouri. There may be enough to justify being ahead of undefeated UCF.

But not in the eyes of the selection committee, who had obviously not been impressed by the Knights' 52 to 40 victory over Temple.

"When you watched their game last week, you could see the battle of defense," said selection committee chairman Rob Mullens. It's a piece of it. Strong attack, fighting for defense. "

– These teams should be present. Instead of Washington or Auburn, the committee should have looked at the state of Utah, the Army, and even Oregon. The Ducks beat the Huskies, which should count, and apart from the loss to Arizona last month, were in the top 25. The Army has no big wins, but seven wins and one very competitive defeat against Oklahoma provides a solid resume.

And Utah State has absolutely every reason to be ahead of both Power Five teams. The Aggies lost in the opening game with a touchdown in the 18th state of Michigan, and have since recorded eight consecutive victories, including seven with at least two possessions. USU should join the 23rd state of Fresno to give the West Mountain two teams in the standings.