CFP Committee Shows Group of 5 Teams Love, but Still an Uphill Climb to Playoff

We had to wait a little longer than last year for our first set of rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee, but Tuesday still felt a little like Christmas morning.

Unlike Dec. 25, though, there were no shouts of joy. Instead, for most fans, there were screams of anger.

Alabama was too high, Baylor too low and, of course, the committee was obviously biased against (insert your favorite conference here).

But lost among the hemming and the hawing over the committee's top 25 is the simple fact the underdogs had a banner night.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Memphis checked in at No. 13, Temple was No. 22, Toledo No. 24, and Houston rounded things out at No. 25. In the first rankings of 2015, the "Group of Five" had one more team than it did all of last season.

That's an encouraging start. It appears the Group of Five has impressed the committee with its strength on the field, though the rankings probably also speak to the mediocrity of some Power Five leagues. Last year, Boise State led all Group of Five teams by appearing in three sets of rankings. East Carolina and Marshall had one showing each. That's five total appearances, a number that will be surpassed when the committee releases its second top 25 next week.

The attention will naturally gravitate to the Tigers, who now hold the title of highest-ranked Group of Five team in the short history of the College Football Playoff rankings. They're undefeated and have a valuable win over No. 18 Ole Miss, a squad that still has a chance to win the SEC. Quarterback Paxton Lynch is already drawing Heisman Trophy hype, and head coach Justin Fuente is being mentioned for every major job opening in the country (and some that are not).

Memphis is good, and college football fans far from the Mississippi River have noticed. The committee agrees and for the first time provided some insight on just how well it'll treat an undefeated Group of Five team with good wins on its resume.

Those who argue the Tigers aren't high enough have a point. Memphis has a pair of wins over Power Five teams, including a trump card on every squad outside of maybe Clemson: One of those wins came against the Rebels, who have a victory at Alabama. The Tigers have also dispatched the preseason favorite in their American Athletic Conference, Cincinnati, and Bowling Green, which may wind up as the MAC champion. At this point, Memphis is the trendy team and has an edge over compatriots Temple, Toledo and Houston.

But the Tigers still have a long and treacherous climb to prove they are worthy of making the final four.

While they checked in higher than Ohio State did in the first rankings last year (No. 16), it's not so much what is ahead on the schedule as what teams are ahead in the rankings.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

The third-ranked Buckeyes play No. 7 Michigan State on Nov. 21, and the winner will likely play No. 9 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. That means one or two more top-15 wins for the team that emerges. If that team is Ohio State, it could also add a victory over No. 17 Michigan, which the Spartans have already done.

Then there's the SEC, which has two teams in the top four, and the Big 12 duo of Baylor and TCU sitting in the top 10. That's three conferences with favorable routes to getting at least one team in the playoff. Oh, and don't forget about the ACC, home to No. 1 Clemson.

So, Memphis has to root for Ole Miss to win the SEC and hope for chaos elsewhere. That includes in the ACC, Pac-12 and with independent Notre Dame, which was ranked No. 5 and has seemingly gotten stronger each week despite injury after injury.

It'll be a tall task to fight through all that and make the final four. It's not impossible, mind you, but a tall task nevertheless.

Temple, Toledo and Houston don't come close to Memphis' resume, so they'll have to settle for duking it out over a Fiesta Bowl bid as the Group of Five representative. The Tigers can aim higher, much higher, even if there's a steep hill to climb.

We still have more than a month of college football left to play and absolutely anything can happen. So, celebrate the success of the Group of Five, but remember that its teams are on the outside looking in.

Bryan Fischer is a national college football columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.