Initial CFP rankings unveiled with Ohio State and Indiana at the top of the bracket

College Football Playoff Rankings Released

The initial College Football Playoff rankings are here, and guess who’s at the top? The Ohio State Buckeyes claim the No. 1 spot, according to the projections shared by ESPN on Tuesday night. Fresh off their championship victory over Notre Dame earlier this year, they’re currently sitting at an impressive 8-0. Not surprising, really.

But, one of the most intriguing narratives this season unfolds with the No. 2 ranked Indiana Hoosiers. Under head coach Curt Cignetti, they’ve enjoyed a stellar season, leading the Big Ten with a perfect 9-0 record, largely thanks to their standout quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, who’s being talked about as a potential Heisman candidate.

Completing the top four, we see No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama both earning byes in the first round of the playoff. The SEC certainly showcases its strength this season with Georgia ranked fifth and Ole Miss at sixth. I mean, that conference really has some heavy hitters this year.

The rankings continue with No. 7 BYU leading the Big 12 at 8-0, followed by Texas Tech, Oregon, and finally, No. 10 Notre Dame. Interestingly, while the Fighting Irish have stumbled early this season with two losses—one against Texas A&M and another against No. 18 Miami—they managed to secure six straight wins since. That’s no small feat.

The same can be said for the Hurricanes, who, having the same record as Notre Dame, also faced a setback recently with an overtime loss to SMU, causing them to slide down the rankings.

In the mix, we have the No. 11 Texas Longhorns, who recently beat No. 16 Vanderbilt. The No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners are also in the conversation. It’s noteworthy that the ACC is represented as well, with Virginia appearing at No. 14. Memphis is recognized as the leading team from the Group of 5, which might be a bit surprising given the dominance of the Power 4 conferences this season.

This year’s format is slightly different, moving away from previous seasons. The committee is utilizing a straight seed model, meaning the top four teams will receive first-round byes, independent of their conference affiliations.

As the rankings stand, Memphis is set to face Georgia, Virginia will play Ole Miss, Notre Dame is matched with BYU, and Oregon will go against Texas Tech. It’s worth noting that this is just the beginning. We’ll see more rankings before the brackets are finalized on December 7, right after the conference championship games.