The first edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday.

As is always the case with any ranking in any sport, there were a few notable decisions that sparked rapid backlash.

For the first time ever, Oregon is the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Thanks to our guy Davis Sanchez after his old college debuted at the top of the list.

The Ducks are the third pick to win the national championship at FanDuel behind Ohio State and Georgia.

With just three regular season games against unranked opponents, there’s a very good chance Oregon will be undefeated by the time it advances to the Big Ten title game.

The Buckeyes, who remain the national title favorites at FanDuel this morning, debuted at No. 2 in the inaugural rankings behind the Ducks.

Miami, which is currently the fifth pick to win the College Football Playoff National Championship at FanDuel, debuted at No. 4 in the rankings ahead of Texas in its highest ranking since 2017.

Meanwhile, Indiana debuted at No. 8 in the rankings.

The Hoosiers are -250 to make the College Football Playoff at FanDuel this morning.

According to FanDuel traders, Indiana has garnered the most action in its playoff chances since Saturday’s win over Michigan State.

Although statistics form the basis for establishing the College Football Playoff rankings, final decisions always depend on interpretations of these numbers.

With several stops before the first 12-team playoffs, there are bound to be several changes in the standings before the dance begins this winter.

This is part of the reason why I refrained from reacting.

Another reason is that at the time I was busy watching the Winnipeg Jets beat the Utah hockey team on their way to cashing in on another FanDuel best bet in this column.

In case you missed it, the best bets improved to 9-1 since last Monday.

Not bad for a quick read during your morning coffee.

For the most part, I try to ignore debates regarding sports rankings.

There will always be exceptions.

Sometimes I hear something so blatant that I can’t help but voice my opinion.

It’s Morning Coffee on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.

Does the Goff MVP hype hold up to the stats?

The sports media landscape finds itself in a strange situation.

On the one hand, we live in unprecedented times characterized by seemingly endless streams of available data that we can use to help us shape an accurate perspective of the sports we consume.

On the other hand, it seems that fewer people than ever are willing to delve into this data and analyze it, opting for hot takes and flashy opinions instead of real, in-depth analysis of any what substance.

The problem for some of us is that when you watch the film and look up the data, it’s easy to spot analysts and commentators who aren’t authentic.

You can quickly find out who is playing a role.

The Detroit Lions are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

That wouldn’t be the case if they didn’t have a competent quarterback putting up impressive numbers behind a strong line in an offense that’s loaded with talented playmakers at the skill positions.

In fact, Jared Goff and the Lions have been so good through the first nine weeks of the NFL season that he’s now in the NFL regular season MVP conversation.

Specifically, Goff is currently the fourth pick to win the MVP award with +800 odds on FanDuel.

As things stand this morning, I have no problem with Goff being a top-five pick to win the NFL regular season MVP.

I was surprised when a colleague forwarded me this clip of Stephen A. Smith making the case for Goff as the MVP favorite.

Yes, Goff is the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 80 percent of his passes over a six-game span.

Yes, the Lions have the best record in the NFC with a 7-1 record.

Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are the top three picks to win NFL MVP at FanDuel.

No, Goff doesn’t deserve to be ranked ahead of any of them in this market.

In this case, we find ourselves at the unique intersection between this unprecedented flow of available statistics and the potential danger of using one or two numbers as the basis for a hot-button position that ignores several other variables.

Let’s start with the obvious when it comes to the case against Goff for NFL regular season MVP.

22 NFL quarterbacks have started every game for their team this season.

Among those 22 quarterbacks, Goff ranks 22nd in total pass attempts.

15 NFL quarterbacks averaged more completions per game than Goff this season.

This list includes Daniel Jones, Joe Flacco, rookies Caleb Williams and Bo Nix.

Yes, Goff has been extremely efficient when successful, posting a league-best 74.9 percent success rate.

Maybe, just maybe, he’d be a little lower if he was forced to throw the ball a little more often?

The problem with naming him MVP based on completion percentage is that he attempts fewer passes than any other full-time QB in the league.

Additionally, when he throws the ball, he averages just 4.4 air yards per attempt, which also ranks him in the bottom third among full-time NFL starters.

In Sunday’s win over the Green Bay Packers, Goff went 18 of 22 for 145 yards and a touchdown.

The Lions’ sixth-ranked rushing attack, which features an elite one-two punch in running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Mongtomery, rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown.

A remarkable 19 of Goff’s 22 pass attempts traveled five air yards or less downfield.

The 3.3 air yards per attempt matches the second-lowest single-game mark of his entire career.

This was the third straight week in which Goff posted a lower passer rating and lower yards per attempt average than the previous game.

In fact, his odds of winning the MVP award at FanDuel went from +600 to +800 after this performance.

It was the fourth straight game Goff suffered on his passing yardage prop – the longest active streak among starting quarterbacks.

The sub on his passing prop has hit in six straight games – the longest active streak among starting QBs.

Again, I completely agree that Goff deserves recognition for his impressive efficiency at the QB position for a team that has won seven of its first eight games and is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Yes, Goff deserves to be in the MVP conversation.

There’s simply no way you can tell me at this point with a straight face that he deserves to be the MVP favorite over current co-favorites Allen and Jackson.

As for a FanDuel Best Bet, we’ll look to pick up where we left off Thursday morning by trying to build on an 8-1 run over the last two weeks.

Have a nice day everyone!