The first College Football Playoff rankings are here. After voting and debating in Grapevine, TX throughout Tuesday, the Selection Committee revealed its initial Top 25 CFP rankings.
Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes came in as the No. 1 team in the first rankings of the season, putting them in the driver's seat to make it back to the College Football Playoff once again. Rounding out the Top 4 was the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 2, Michigan Wolverines at No. 3, and Florida State Seminoles at No. 4. The Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks came in at Nos. 5 and 6, the first two teams out.
There is a lot of college football left to be played this season, and things will change quite a bit from the first CFP rankings. However, starting position and the contenders around teams in the rankings matter. So with that, let's take a look at the winners and losers from the first CFP rankings.
First CFP Rankings Winner: Ohio State Buckeyes
If most college football fans were grading with the eye test, there's not a shot in hell that the Ohio State Buckeyes would be the No. 1 team in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. This team has gotten off to an undefeated start, but they've also looked entirely beatable in some of their biggest wins and even in some of their less impressive wins -- this past week at Camp Randall against Wisconsin being part of that.
However, it's clear that the Selection Committee is looking at the resumé and strength of record for Ohio State, which is why they are the No. 1 team in the rankings. Wins over Notre Dame in South Bend and over Penn State in Columbus comprise the best pair of wins that any team, undefeated teams specifically, have in the country right now.
We didn't know how heavily that the commitee would weigh eye test and resumé, but a focus on the latter for the Buckeyes makes them a clear winner.
First CFP Rankings Loser: Penn State Nittany Lions
Make no mistake, with the way James Franklin's Penn State Nittany Lions have played over the past two weeks in a loss to the aforementioned Buckeyes and a narrow win over lowly Indiana, dropping them outside of the Top 10 makes a lot of sense.
Having said that, when you look at this Penn State team, particularly with the hype around the Nittany Lions coming into the season, seeing them as having just one loss with some dominant performances against subpar competition on their resumé to this poiint -- and with that one loss coming against the No. 1-ranked team -- it does seem a bit harsh to have them behind Ole Miss and Oklahoma in the first CFP rankings.
Even with a win over Michigan that could, in theory, push Penn State into the Big Ten Championship Game, coming in at No. 11 indeed makes it quite difficult for the Nittany Lions to see a path into the Top 4 by season's end. It's not impossible, but it's most certainly not probable with these first rankings shaking out the way they did.
First CFP Rankings Winner: Oregon Ducks
Clearly, the Oregon Ducks have passed the eye test when it comes to the CFP Selection Committee.
One of the big questions I had for the initial Top 25 rankings was how Oregon and Texas would stack up to one another. Both have one loss on the season in a rivalry game, both losses were on the final possession in close games, and both have looked dominant at their best. But the Longhorns have the better win of the two by far by toppling Alabama in Tuscaloosa, which could've been a case for them to be ahead of the Ducks.
Instead, Oregon is ahead of Texas by one spot in these initial rankings. That's not unfounded given the manner in which Dan Lanning's team has wholeheartedly dismantled every other non-Washington team that they've played this season. However, having it written into the rankings with them having a leg up on Texas puts them in the driver's seat to get into the Top 4 over the Longhorns if both win out.
First CFP Rankings Loser: Alabama Crimson Tide
Let's get this out of the way -- I don't have a single problem with the Alabama Crimson Tide coming in at No. 8 in the first College Football rankings. Based on the wins that they have over the likes of Ole Miss and Tennessee, they have earned their spot in the Top 10 but should be behind Texas after the loss in Tuscaloosa when the two teams went head-to-head.
Having said that, coming in at No. 8 and the way the teams in front of them shake out creates a bit of a hurdle for Alabama to leap over if they're going to have a chance to get into the Top 4. Yes, one of Ohio State or Michigan is going to fall based on what happens in The Game in the final week of the regular season. And if Bama beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, that could have a big impact as well on the Tide moving up.
At the same time, though, Washington and Oregon are both ahead right now and one is likely to win the Pac-12. Texas, if they win out and win the Big 12, has the head-to-head win over Alabama, which the committee is honoring. Then you have to wonder if Michigan or Ohio State would all the way fall out, much like last year, if one is 12-0 and one is 11-1.
This could be an uphill climb for Alabama to make it into the Top 4. And without question, the margin for error the rest of the way is clearly zero.
First CFP Rankings Winner: Georgia Bulldogs
Considering that Georgia has been No. 1 in the AP Top 25 all season only for the Selection Committee to usurp them in the first College Football Playoff rankings, this might seem counterintuitive to call the Dawgs a winner.
But they are.
For one, Georgia now has a huge opportunity to build its resumé tremendously over the final month of the season and the Committee helped with that. Missouri coming in at No. 12 is their opponent in Week 10. The week after that, the Bulldogs will face the No. 10-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. That's a huge favor done by these rankings to really elevate those wins should Georgia be able to emerge victorious.
Perhaps more importantly, though, we've seen Kirby Smart showcase his master motivational skills with bulletin-board material. He now has that with the Committee not ranking Georgia at No. 1. I have no doubt that will be used to motivate the Dawgs from here on out and, if history tells us anything from the past two years, it'll probably work like a charm.
First CFP Rankings Loser: Oklahoma Sooners
We saw it coming from a mile away when it comes to the Oklahoma Sooners, but one of the big gripes that some people are going to have with the initial CFP rankings is definitely going to be this team coming in two spots behind the rival Texas Longhorns, a team that Brent Venables' group beat in Red River earlier in October.
Throughout the Top 25, we saw that head-to-head wins were largely honored, particularly in the Top 10. Texas beat Alabama, so the Longhorns are one spot ahead of the Crimson Tide. Washington topped Oregon, so the Huskies -- even perhaps in spite of the eye test otherwise -- are ranked one spot higher. That is not the case with Oklahoma.
When you look at the Texas win over Alabama and some of its other wins in comparison to Oklahoma's resumé this season, you understand the thought process the Selection Committee used to reach these rankings. However, it still is a definite loss for the Sooners, no doubt fueled by last week's upset defeat at the hands of No. 21 Kansas, for them to not have their signature win honored in the rankings.
