The NCAA investigation hanging over Michigan as it heads into the final month of the season as a national championship contender is not affecting the College Football Playoff selection committee’s assessment of the Wolverines.
Ohio State was No. 1, followed by Georgia, Michigan and Florida State in the season’s first CFP rankings Tuesday night, with unbeaten Washington and its Pac-12 rival, Oregon, next.
The NCAA is investigating a sign-stealing scheme that allegedly involved impermissible in-person scouting by Michigan.
Selection committee chairman Boo Corrigan, who is the North Carolina State athletic director, said the allegations against Michigan were not part of the debate about where the Wolverines should be ranked. He called it an NCAA issue, not a CFP issue.
“Fact of the matter is no one knows what happened,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said. “The NCAA is dealing right now with allegations only. The committee’s judgments are based on what happened on the field. And clearly Michigan has been a dominant team.”