College Football Playoff Rankings: Oregon, Ohio State and Georgia top the first 12-team CFP field

There were no surprises in the first rankings of the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Oregon was the No. 1 team, ahead of Ohio State, Georgia and Miami. But the Buckeyes are ranked No. 5 in the projected playoff round.

Unlike the previous ten years of the four-team playoffs, the rankings and expected field are not the same. At the end of the 2014 through 2023 season, the top four teams in the rankings were the four playoff teams. This year, the top five conference champions in the rankings will play in the playoffs, after which the seven overall teams will be selected in order of ranking.

For example, the team ranked No. 11 in the final rankings in December may not be part of the 12-team playoff field because there may be two conference champions lower in the rankings.

However, that is not the case in the first set of rankings. Boise State, the fifth-highest ranked projected conference champion, is ranked No. 12 in the initial rankings. This means that the twelve best teams in the rankings are the twelve teams in the expected play-off round.

Goodbye to the first round

1. Oregon

2. Georgia

3. Miami

4. BYU

The Cougars were ranked No. 9 in the rankings, while Miami was ranked 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

Notre Dame No. 10 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 these 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, while another team is on the road.

Ohio State is ranked No. 2, as its only loss came at Oregon in a 32-31 thriller. It’s entirely possible that the Ducks and Buckeyes will 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 spots for the SEC title games are very much up for grabs. Every team in the SEC has suffered 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 quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played at the venues of the New Year’s Six Bowl matches. The four first-round matches will take place at home stadiums, meaning a team that secures a top-four finish would play three consecutive matches at a neutral venue on their way to the championship as part of the new play-off.

Complete Top25

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)