There weren’t any surprises in the first set of rankings for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Oregon was the No. 1 team ahead of Ohio State, Georgia and Miami. But the Buckeyes slot in at No. 5 in the projected playoff bracket.
Unlike in the 10 previous years of the four-team playoff, the rankings and the projected field are not the same. At the end of the season from 2014 through 2023, the top four teams in the rankings were the four playoff teams. This year, the top five conference champions in the rankings are in the playoff, and then the seven at-large teams are selected in order of the rankings.
For example, it’s possible that the team ranked No. 11 in the final rankings in December will not be part of the 12-team playoff field because there could be two conference champions lower in the rankings.
That’s not the case in the first set of rankings, however. Boise State, the fifth-highest-ranked projected conference champ, is at No. 12 in the initial rankings. That means the top 12 teams in the rankings are the 12 teams in the projected playoff bracket.
First-round byes
1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Miami
4. BYU
The Cougars were at No. 9 in the rankings while Miami was at No. 4. BYU is one of four Big 12 teams in the initial rankings ahead of No. 17 Iowa State, No. 19 Kansas State and No. 20 Colorado.
First-round games
No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State
No. 11 Alabama at No. 6 Texas
No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 Penn State
No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Tennessee
SEC and Big Ten teams dominate the at-large bids. Notre Dame is the only team outside of those conferences that would receive an at-large bid in this set of rankings. Each conference has two teams hosting first-round playoff games in the initial rankings, with another team on the road.
Ohio State is at No. 2 as its only loss came at Oregon in a 32-31 thriller. It’s very possible the Ducks and Buckeyes could meet again in the Big Ten championship game, but Indiana will have a say in that. The Hoosiers visit Columbus on Nov. 23 in a game that could serve as a semifinal of sorts for the conference title game.
The SEC title game spots are very much up for grabs. Every team in the SEC has at least one conference loss as Georgia plays at No. 16 Ole Miss this weekend and No. 11 Alabama visits No. 15 LSU.
As a reminder, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played at the sites of the New Year’s Six Bowl games. The four first-round games will be at home stadiums, meaning that a team getting a top-four seed would play three straight neutral-site games en route to the championship as part of the new playoff.
Full Top 25
1. Oregon (9-0)
2. Ohio State (7-1)
3. Georgia (7-1)
4. Miami (9-0)
5. Texas (7-1)
6. Penn State (7-1)
7. Tennessee (7-1)
8. Indiana (9-0)
9. BYU (8-0)
10. Notre Dame (7-1)
11. Alabama (6-2)
12. Boise State (7-1)
13. SMU (8-1)
14. Texas A&M (7-2)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Ole Miss (7-2)
17. Iowa State (7-1)
18. Pitt (7-1)
19. Kansas State (7-2)
20. Colorado (6-2)
21. Washington State (7-1)
22. Louisville (6-3)
23. Clemson (6-2)
24. Missouri (6-2)
25. Army (8-0)
