The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2019 season were released on Tuesday, November 5, and there was a bit of a surprise in the top four. Alabama and LSU have been ranked No. 1 in the AP and Coaches Poll for the past few weeks, but it was another program that earned the top spot when the selection committee unveiled their rankings.
Sitting in the top spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff Rankings of the year is the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The LSU Tigers checked in at No. 2, while the Alabama Crimson Tide sit at No. 3. Rounding out the top four was another surprise with the Penn State Nittany Lions securing the final playoff spot. That means the undefeated, reigning national champion Clemson Tigers are on the outside looking in at No. 5.
Georgia, Oregon, Utah, and Oklahoma are also within striking distance as they sit inside of the top 10.
Where did your favorite team check in when the selection committee announced the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season?
A full look at the rankings for games played through November 2 can be seen below.
- Ohio State (8-0)
- LSU (8-0)
- Alabama (8-0)
- Penn State (8-0)
- Clemson (9-0)
- Georgia (7-1)
- Oregon (8-1)
- Utah (8-1)
- Oklahoma (7-1)
- Florida (7-2)
- Auburn (7-2)
- Baylor (8-0)
- Wisconsin (6-2)
- Michigan (7-2)
- Notre Dame (6-2)
- Kansas State (6-2)
- Minnesota (8-0)
- Iowa (6-2)
- Wake Forest (7-1)
- Cincinnati (7-1)
- Memphis (8-1)
- Boise State (7-1)
- Oklahoma State (6-3)
- Navy (7-1)
- SMU (8-1)
About the College Football Playoff: The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 seed vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 29, 2018, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Capital One Orange Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 7, 2019, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.