The real College Football Playoff committee won’t come up with its first set of rankings until late October. Each member of the Campus Insiders Playoff Committee have submitted his or her own set of rankings based on how good the teams are, and they’ll keep cranking them out throughout the year. 

The one difference between this committee and the real one will be explanations – please scroll down for each committee member’s top four write-up. Along with the rankings compiled by all the members, each one explains what went into creating the top four. 

The Campus Insiders Week 7 Top Four
1. Mississippi State – 273 votes
2. Ole Miss – 263
3. Florida State 256
4. Baylor 229

Others Receiving Votes: Notre Dame (224), Alabama (218), Auburn (212), Michigan State (181), Oregon (176), Georgia (173), TCU (170), Oklahoma (164), Ohio State (116), Kansas State (105), Arizona (101), Oklahoma State (93), East Carolina (86), Marshall (65), Arizona State (64), Nebraska (63), USC (61), Stanford (54), Texas A&M (49), Clemson (40), Utah (31), LSU (21), Rutgers (16), Georgia Tech (15), UCLA (13), Duke (12), Washington (8), West Virginia (6), Missouri (5), Kentucky (4), Colorado State (3), Minnesota (3), Louisville (2)

LAST WEEK 
1. Auburn, 2. Florida State, 3. Ole Miss, 4. Mississippi State

The Committee: Doug Chapman, Rich Cirminiello, Geoff Coyle, Jeff Dantzler, Phil Dawson, Kristi Dosh, Pete Fiutak, Steve Greenberg, Russ Lande, Michael Lev, Paul Loeffler, Lachlan McLean, Russ Mitchell, Chris Plank, Dan Schwab, Crowley Sullivan 

Rich Cirminiello 
@RichCirminiello 

Cirminiello Bio
– Associate Editor at Campus Insiders
– Director of College Awards for the Maxwell Football Club 

1. Mississippi State
Not only have the Bulldogs beaten three consecutive top 10 teams, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn, but they’ve done it convincingly. 

2. Ole Miss
Following up the Alabama upset with a road rout of Texas A&M is arguably the most impressive turnaround of the first half. 

3. Florida State
The Seminoles see opponents’ “A” game week-in and week-out, yet haven’t stumbled like so many other ranked teams. 

4. Baylor
Defense and special teams are concerns, but the Bears showed a ton of heart by rallying to beat the same Horned Frogs that upset Oklahoma a week earlier. 

Jeff Dantzler 
@jeffdantzlertv 

Dantzler Bio
– Longtime University of Georgia and Athens radio personality and writer
– Athens SportsRadio 960 the Ref

1. Miss State 
Three straight wins over top ten teams in the toughest division in the toughest conference in the land gives the Maroons the best resume in the land. They are tough, physical, explosive and well-coached. 

2. Ole Miss 
The Rebels answered a lot of questions with a pounding of Texas A&M in College Station. Bo Wallace is playing great, he has pieces around him and the defensive front is flat out nasty. 

3. Baylor 
A team that gives up 58 points shouldn’t be ranked so high should they? But they are winning and awfully explosive. That was a game unlike any top 10 vs. top 10 match-up ever.

4. Florida State
The Seminoles aren’t nearly as good as they were a year ago and Jameis Winston has been a saga for Florida State. But they keep winning and survived that Clemson game when he was out. The winner of this one with the Irish is sitting pretty. 

Phil Dawson 
@PhilDawsonRadio 

Dawson Bio
– Co-host Lucas & Dawson Radio Show — The Big 1070 Madison/The Big 920 Milwaukee
– Network TV sideline reporter (tRU-TV/BTN) 

1. Mississippi State
They lead my TOTAL EARNED WINS metric with 30, three straight wins against teams that currently have five wins. Plus, had no FCS in early schedule. Certainly have the best wins, and Heisman favorite Dak Prescott. Proved to be the elite as we hit midway point of the season. 

2. Ole Miss
Second in the TEW metric at 27. Did what MISS ST. did by knocking off two straight big boys who currently have 5 wins. Proved it at home vs ALA, then again on the road vs a good team with back to the wall. Impressive start to the conference season.

3. Florida State
Third in TEW metric at 23. Still unbeaten, still the defending champs, still have one of the most exciting players in CFB. No great wins yet though, best win coming week one against a media poll overrated OKST, week two CITADEL game hurts in TEW, could have been #2 if scheduled stronger opponent. Only ahead of ND because of previous weeks at #1. 

4. Notre Dame
Equal to FSU in TEW at 23. Winning against decent teams, no standout wins yet, but admirable for their scheduling FBS teams and not FCS. Huge game obviously this week with FSU, likely the best candidate for CFB Playoff Final Four if it is one of the only one-loss teams. 

Kristi Dosh 
@SportsBizMiss 

Dosh Bio
– Sports business reporter and analyst for Campus Insiders and Outkick the Coverage on FoxSports.com
– Author of business of college football book Saturday Millionaires and host of podcast by the same name 

1. Mississippi State
The Bulldogs have the most impressive wins against the best opponents when compared to the rest of the Top 25. They’re big, they’re fast, they’re physical. They look like they would dominate anyone they played at this point. 

2. Ole Miss
Ole Miss has the second best collection of wins. After the program’s biggest win in decades, they went on the road in front of 110,000 and wipe out a good Texas A&M team. Ton of athletes on defense, and enough offensive playmakers to be dangerous. 

3. Florida State
The object is to win your games, and they do. The problem is their wins the past couple of weeks haven’t been against anyone important. Their running game looks improved with two freshman getting the majority of the carries now. Big test next weekend against Notre Dame. 

4. Baylor
A very good TCU team almost took out Baylor…but they didn’t. Bryce Petty wasn’t perfect, but he did rally his team on the way to 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for the win. 

Pete Fiutak 
@PeteFiutak 

Fiu Bio
– Managing Editor of Campus Insiders, Publisher of CollegeFootballNews.com
– Voter and/or on advisory board for almost every major college football award 

1. Mississippi State
I toled you last week that Mississippi State was the No. 1 team in the country. There’s room on the bandwagon. 

2. Ole Miss
Go ahead and put the Rebels at No. 1 if you want to. The defense is destryoing teams. 

3. Auburn
No punishing the Tigers for losing to the No. 1 team in the country, but I want to see the explosion again from the running game. 

4. Oregon
I know, I know, I know, but when the O line is healthy – like it was with Jake Fisher back for the UCLA game – that’s more like the Oregon we all know and sort of love.

Steve Greenberg 
@SLGreenberg 

Greenberg Bio
– Chicago Sun-Times national college football and basketball columnist 
– Former college football and basketball editor for Sporting News 

1. Mississippi State
Great running game, great leadership in the huddle and on the sideline, great attitude, and no glaring weaknesses that I can see. This week, No. 1 is an easy pick. 

2. Ole Miss
Sorry, did I say No. 1 is an easy pick? Résumé vs. résumé, not much separates the Bulldogs from the Rebels. I break the tie with Dak Prescott > Bo Wallace, but who can knock Big Game Bo at this point?

3. Florida State
I’m wondering if dropping to No. 3 in the national polls (at least that’s what ought to happen) will wake up the Seminoles and motivate them like they haven’t been since last season. FSU has to get its run game going and, hey, here’s an idea, how about sack somebody? 

3. Baylor
This’ll sound nuts, but Baylor’s defense wasn’t abjectly awful in the 61-58 comeback win over TCU, which scored a couple of non-offensive touchdowns. And the Bears locked things down in the fourth quarter, always a good sign. 

Michael Lev 
@MichaelJLev 

Lev Bio
– USC football/basketball beat reporter, Orange County Register
– 2-time FWAA writing award winner, AP Top 25 voter, Heisman Trophy voter 

1. Mississippi State
I had the Bulldogs fifth last week. Vaulted them to first this week. They’ve beaten LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn in consecutive weeks. No one can top that.

2. Ole Miss
The Rebels didn’t play great against Texas A&M, but they still beat a top-25 opponent on the road by 15 points. We’re halfway to the biggest, baddest Egg Bowl ever.

3. Florida State
Jameis Winston seems immune to the controversy swirling around him. FSU seems well on its way to the Final Four – if it can get by Notre Dame. 

4. Baylor
Baylore gave up 58 points and probably should have lost. But you have to give credit to the Bears for rallying against a very good TCU team. Also, I didn’t want to have three SEC teams in my top four. 

Paul Loeffler 
@P356Loeffler 

Loeffler Bio
– Voice of the Fresno State Bulldogs (football, basketball, baseball) — Author of Underdogs to Wonderdogs
– Hosts syndicated radio show Hometown Heroes 

1. Florida State
Hard to find a team that has had to endure more adversity, self-inflicted or otherwise, than the ‘Noles have. They have found a way to win every week, proving they are more than just Jameis Winston. Chance to back it up this week against the Irish. 

2. Ole Miss
I give the Rebels the slightest edge over MSU because in back to back weeks, Bo & Co. have beaten Saban AND won on the road in front of the biggest crowd in SEC history.

3. Mississippi State
Slaying LSU, TAMU, and Auburn – incredible 3 weeks for the Dak Attack. How will the Bulldogs handle their AP #1 ranking on the road in Lexington against the most underrated team in the SEC? 

4. Baylor
All four of the these teams have a claim on #1. Bryce Petty would be on my Heisman ballot if the season ended today, and BAY @ WVU could produce more points than the 119 it took to decide it against the Frogs. 

Lachlan McLean 
@Lach840 

McLean Bio
– Host of Sports Talk 84 — one of the most popular sports talk radio shows in Louisville
– 15 years of daily coverage of University of Louisville and University of Kentucky athletics 

1. Mississippi State
This one seems pretty obvious, they make a more powerful statement every week. I keep waiting for the letdown but it doesn’t happen. 

2. Mississippi
I don’t understand 1st place votes for Ole Miss in AP Poll because their resume pales in comparison to MSU, but Rebels make strong case for 2nd-best.

3. Florida State
They never really WOW you but they keep chugging along. Wins over Oklahoma State and Clemson are better than anything Baylor has. 

4. Baylor
Edge Notre Dame for last playoff spot due to wins in three true road games. Irish have none. 

Chris Plank 
@PlankShow 

Plank Bio
– Host of the Big Show from 2-6pm weekdays on 1430 in Tulsa 
– Fox Sports Radio Host of “The Plank Show” Sunday nights from 6-9pm cst
 
1. Mississippi State 
Without a doubt the most impressive win I’ve seen this season was MSU beating Auburn. A huge date looms November 15th against Alabama, but this team is ready to assume the top spot in college football. And in the process, Dack Prescott has become the Heisman front runner. 

2. Ole Miss 
When you win on the road in an environment like College Station its a Big Deal. Granted A&M has had its warts, nearly falling to Arkansas and getting blown out by Mississippi State, but that doesn’t diminish what Ole Miss did against the Aggies. Amazing to think that LSU is relegated to a potential spoilers role in two weeks, but that magnifies how good the Rebs have been this year. 

3. Florida State 
Another ho hum perfromance from the Seminoles. Nothing spectacular and nothing that really stands out. This #3 spot in the 4-team playoff is up for grabs this weekend as Florida State looks to confirm its positioning amongst the elite in college football with a win against undefeated Notre Dame. 

4 Baylor 
Wow… just Wow. That game against TCU is not for fans of defensive minded football. The Bears still have a tough match-up looming against Oklahoma in four weeks, but put themselves in position to run the table witht he miracoulous finish against TCU. Four of the final six games on the Bear schedule are at home, but go ahead and put Baylor on upset alert this weekend in Morgantown against Dana Holgerson and the suddenly upstart West Virginia Mountaineers. Final score could be 80-75. 

Dan Schwab 
@DanSchwabCI 

Schwab Bio
– Executive Producer, Campus Insiders
– Executive Producer, Answers Media Productions 

1. Mississippi State
2. Ole Miss
3. Baylor
4. Florida State

Crowley Sullivan 
@rcsullivan435 

Sullivan Bio
– Executive Vice President/General Manager, CampusInsiders.com
– Peabody & Emmy Award winner for ESPN SportsCentury, “The Fifty Greatest Athletes of the Century” 

1) Mississippi State 
Okay, fine. A team beats eleven consecutive top ten teams – I guess that warrants a top ranking.

2) Mississippi 
Okay, fine. Another team beats a whole bunch of really good teams and does it a stone’s throw from the team that has beaten eleven straight top teams – that makes for some great drama and warrants a #2 ranking. 

3) Florida State 
So, the fact that other teams are winning impressively is now somehow supposed to take away from the fact that the Seminoles still haven’t lost a game in about a hundred years? The Noles are now #3 in my ranking due to the editor’s bullying tactics. 

4) Georgia 
Sorry, Baylor – any team that gives up 58 points doesn’t belong anywhere near the Top Four. Meanwhile, all Georgia has done recently is win impressively.