Gus Malzahn, Hugh Freeze discuss initial College Football Playoff rankings

AUBURN, Ala. — Both Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze found their teams ranked among the top four in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, which were released Tuesday night. That meant if the regular season was over, each team would part of the first four-team playoff in the FBS, with No. 3 Auburn having a rematch of last year's BCS championship game with No. 2 Florida State in the Rose Bowl in one semifinal and No. 4 Ole Miss having a rematch of its own in the Sugar Bowl, facing off against arch-rival and top-ranked Mississippi State.

But of course, there is still much football to be played until the four-team bracket is set Dec. 7.

As such, neither coach made too much of the news.

"I really don't have much of a reaction," Malzahn said during his time on the SEC coaches' teleconference Wednesday. "We've got to go on the road and play three top 10 teams still left. We'll worry about that (the College Football Playoff rankings) as it gets toward the end of the season."

And for the second straight day, Malzahn refused to frame Saturday's matchup with the Rebels as a "regular season semifinal" or an "elimination game" for the playoff. The quality of the opponent — and not the ramifications of a win or a loss — was Malzahn's lone focus.

"We've got Ole Miss. That's the only thing on our mind," he said. "We're going to do our best to win that game. We're playing one of the better teams in the country. I think if you look at their quality wins and who they've played, that's a big factor."

Freeze echoed that sentiment.

"I tell our kids here that we're focused solely, really, on one ranking, and that would be what's issued Dec. 7. I think that's the one that really matters," he said. "I recognize that the committee, they have a difficult job. We have confidence in them and I know that they're going to judge the full schedule of games."

Unlike Malzahn, his good friend and coaching counterpart Saturday, Freeze was a bit more pleased to hear about his team receiving a four-seed.

It's the type of perception he hopes the Rebels can cultivate the rest of the year.

"It's certainly an honor to be considered one of the teams right now that has a shot at it and I think it probably gives more boost to your fan base than anything else," Freeze said. "It's certainly exciting times for college football."

This story was originally published October 29, 2014 at 4:30 PM.