Washington Ranks 5th in Initial CFB Playoff Rankings; Early Reaction

Washington, ranked No.4 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Poll, ranks No.5 in the initial College Football Playoff Rankings as announced by the committee. The Huskies, undefeated at 5-0 in Pac-12 play and 8-0 overall, come in behind Texas A&M at No.4, who have one loss on their resume against Alabama, a 33-14 defeat in Tuscaloosa.

The Huskies brought to the table an initially impressive 44-6 victory over then-No.7 Stanford on Sept. 30. However, the Cardinal have since fallen in the North rankings and aren't the dominant juggernaut they were once considered. Add to it a 70-21 route of the Oregon Ducks in Eugene, ending the 12-year losing streak and sending Oregon to the bottom of the conference along with Oregon State.

Yet still Washington continues its quest to crack the CFB Playoff top four rankings. Naturally, there is a mixed bag of reactions on the Huskies being left out:

Washington still remains on track to make the final four, at least according to ESPN's latest bowl projections following the rankings release. Both Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach have Alabama vs Washington - No.1 against No.4 - in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.