Ohio State has secured the top position in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, which were unveiled by the selection committee on Tuesday night. Following closely behind is their Big Ten counterpart, Indiana, ranked at No. 2.
The Buckeyes, who are the reigning national champions, are set to face the Hoosiers only if they meet in the Big Ten championship game. Both teams have remained unbeaten this season and are widely regarded as the premier squads in college football.
Texas A&M, also undefeated, occupies the No. 3 spot in this initial ranking. The committee subsequently placed three one-loss teams from the Southeastern Conference in the rankings: Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss, ranked fifth through seventh, respectively.
The remaining positions in the top ten include BYU, leading the Big 12 without a loss, followed by Texas Tech, Oregon, and two-loss Notre Dame. Although Oregon was positioned seventh in the AP Top 25 poll this week, ahead of both BYU and Texas Tech, their ranking in the CFP may have been affected by the absence of notable wins, as a previous victory against Penn State lost significance when the Nittany Lions experienced a four-game losing streak afterward.
No teams from outside the Power 4 conferences were included in the initial rankings. However, Memphis, although not in the committee”s top 25, is projected to be the No. 12 playoff seed as the fifth highest-rated conference champion. Currently, Memphis is ranked No. 22 in the AP poll and is competing for the American Conference championship against Navy, North Texas, and Tulane for an automatic bid into the playoffs.
Additionally, Virginia stands to benefit from being projected as one of five conference champions, holding the No. 14 position in the rankings and being the highest-ranked team from the ACC, thus earning them a No. 11 seed in the hypothetical playoff bracket.
This year, unlike last season, the top four teams in the rankings receive the top four seeds without regard to conference affiliation, contrasting with the previous practice of granting first-round byes to the four best conference champions. This adjustment has resulted in a configuration where two teams from the Big Ten and two from the SEC are among the top four.
The teams seeded fifth through eighth will have the opportunity to host first-round playoff games at their home stadiums. The final rankings for the College Football Playoff will be disclosed on December 7, following the conclusion of all conference championship games.
According to the initial CFP bracket, the first-round matchups are as follows:
- No. 12 Memphis at No. 5 Georgia
- No. 11 Virginia at No. 6 Ole Miss
- No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 BYU
- No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 Texas Tech
The teams receiving first-round byes are No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 3 Texas A&M, and No. 4 Alabama.
Here are the initial top 25 rankings released by the CFP:
- 1. Ohio State (8-0)
- 2. Indiana (9-0)
- 3. Texas A&M (8-0)
- 4. Alabama (7-1)
- 5. Georgia (7-1)
- 6. Ole Miss (8-1)
- 7. BYU (8-0)
- 8. Texas Tech (8-1)
- 9. Oregon (7-1)
- 10. Notre Dame (6-2)
- 11. Texas (7-2)
- 12. Oklahoma (7-2)
- 13. Utah (7-2)
- 14. Virginia (8-1)
- 15. Louisville (7-1)
- 16. Vanderbilt (7-2)
- 17. Georgia Tech (8-1)
- 18. Miami (6-2)
- 19. Southern California (6-2)
- 20. Iowa (6-2)
- 21. Michigan (7-2)
- 22. Missouri (6-2)
- 23. Washington (6-2)
- 24. Pitt (7-2)
- 25. Tennessee (6-3)
— Field Level Media
