In a season brimming with unexpected turns, the first round of rankings for college football’s new 12-team playoff remained largely predictable when released on Tuesday. Oregon, remaining undefeated, secured the top spot. The selection committee slightly favored Ohio State over Georgia in their inaugural Top 25— the first of six weekly polls scheduled.
Surprisingly, the top 12 teams on the committee’s list mirrored the latest AP poll, an uncommon occurrence in a season marked by weekly upsets. These surprises have left the powerhouse SEC without a single undefeated team.
The rankings revealed that Alabama, despite two losses, would occupy the No. 11 spot if the bracket were finalized this week. Boise State, leading the Mountain West Conference, clinched the No. 12 position, which would grant them an automatic berth as the fifth-best conference champion.
“Boise State is an impressive team,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, chair of the selection committee.
Manuel elaborated that Ohio State’s No. 2 ranking was due to its narrow one-point loss to Oregon. Both the Buckeyes and the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs were ranked higher than undefeated Miami, thanks to more challenging schedules for Ohio State and Georgia. Miami was slotted at fourth.
“We’re splitting hairs as far as looking at two great teams,” Manuel noted.
The rankings will continue to be released weekly until Dec. 8, when the final list will determine the playoff bracket. These playoffs commence on Dec. 20-21, with seeds 5-12 playing at the higher seed’s home fields, culminating in the national title game in Atlanta on Jan. 20.
The current rankings, however, don’t specify final seeding for the playoffs. The four highest-ranked conference champions—Oregon (1), Georgia (3), Miami (4), and BYU (9)—would receive first-round byes.
Alabama’s selection over several one-loss teams, such as No. 13 SMU (ACC), No. 17 Iowa State (Big 12), and No. 18 Pitt (ACC), reflected the strength of their schedule.
The proposed first-round contestants and their rankings include: No. 5 Texas, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 Indiana, and No. 10 Notre Dame.
Narrowly missing the cut was No. 13 SMU, while Army, leading the American Athletic Conference with an 8-0 record, eked into the rankings at No. 25.
Based on this week’s rankings, the first-round matchups would feature:
- No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State, marking the Broncos’ most significant postseason game since the 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
- No. 11 Alabama at No. 5 Texas, revisiting Texas’s 2023 win that dismantled the myth of Alabama’s invincibility.
- No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 7 Penn State, conjuring memories of the 1992 Snow Bowl.
- No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Tennessee, introducing Indiana to the major football stage in front of 100,000 at Rocky Top.
This weekend holds crucial matchups that could alter the rankings. LSU, ranked 15, will host Alabama in what feels like an elimination game. Additionally, Georgia faces No. 17 Ole Miss, whose only losses came by three-point margins to Kentucky and LSU. Indiana, favored by 12 1/2 points, hosts Michigan, setting the stage for a highly anticipated Nov. 23 showdown with Ohio State.
