Greg McElroy questions Missouri ranked over Louisville in CFP top 25

There are two teams inside of the College Football Playoff top 25 following Week 12 of the season that many outside their fan base would not have expected to see there this late in the season: the Louisville Cardinals and the Missouri Tigers.

Louisville sits at No. 10 with a 10-1 record. Missouri is just one spot ahead of them at No. 9 at 8-2. And that ranking bewildered ESPN’s Greg McElroy. The college football expert, who was also a member of the College Football Playoff top 25 reveal panel, likes what he is seeing out of Missouri this season but questions why they are ahead of a 10-1 Louisville team.

“It’s been a great year for Eli Drinkwitz. I mean, just to remarkable, remarkable achievement to have this team on the verge of a 10-win season,” said McElroy. “But, I thought there might be a case to be made for Louisville to be ahead of them this week. NC State jumped in the rankings; that’s another good win for Louisville. So, I thought maybe they would jump Missouri, but with them still staying at No.10, Missouri at No. 9, feels like Louisville has nowhere to go.”

Missouri does have one more loss than Louisville on the season. However, the committee has likely paid attention not only to who both programs have beaten but to who they have lost to as well.

Missouri’s two losses this year have come at the hands of two of the top programs in the SEC this season, LSU and Georgia. Georgia is the top team in the land and is looking to 3-peat as national champions this season. And LSU is home to the front-runner candidate for the Heisman Trophy this season, quarterback Jayden Daniels. Louisville’s lone loss of the season was against the struggling Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt has had a tough go at it this season with a conference record of 2-5 and an overall record of 3-8.

You could make the case either way, for either Missouri or Louisville. But there is still time left in the 2023 season to help complete the picture and define which program deserves the higher ranking. For now, the committee sees Missouri as the more complete program of the two. But if they both maintain their position when bowl games are announced, there could be a New Year’s Six Bowl game that features a showdown between these two surprise programs of 2023.