The first College Football Playoff rankings are here. No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Florida State made up the top four spots as revealed Tuesday night. No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oregon came in next.
Before we dig into what to know in the poll, here’s the top 25:
College Football Playoff rankings: Top 25 for Week 10
RANK
SCHOOL
RECORD
1
Ohio State
8-0
2
Georgia
8-0
3
Michigan
8-0
4
Florida State
8-0
5
Washington
8-0
6
Oregon
7-1
7
Texas
7-1
8
Alabama
7-1
9
Oklahoma
7-1
10
Ole Miss
7-1
11
Penn State
7-1
12
Missouri
7-1
13
Louisville
7-1
14
LSU
6-2
15
Notre Dame
7-2
16
Oregon State
6-2
17
Tennessee
6-2
18
Utah
6-2
19
UCLA
6-2
20
Southern California
7-2
21
Kansas
6-2
22
Oklahoma State
6-2
23
Kansas State
6-2
24
Tulane
7-1
25
Air Force
8-0
With the top 25 poll here, let’s take a look at some of the storylines:
Ohio State takes the top spot
The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2023 saw five undefeated teams lead the rankings, but the team at the top may come as a surprise to some.
Ohio State grabbed the No. 1 spot, surpassing teams like defending back-to-back champion Georgia and arch-rival Michigan. The Buckeyes have two of the best wins in all of college football over Penn State and Notre Dame, boosting their resume and leading to the top spot.
Starting the CFP rankings at the top is a great start for the Buckeyes, but remember only 2020 champion Alabama has gone wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team from the first rankings to the title game.
FUTURE: How the first College Football Playoff rankings predict the semifinals
Here’s what the semifinals would look like
There’s plenty of time and games to play before the final CFP rankings are decided, but if the season ended today, these would be the semifinals:
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Florida State
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Michigan
After the Buckeyes, back-to-back defending champion Georgia took the second spot. The Bulldogs have the seventh-best scoring offense and eighth-best total defense in the FBS. No. 3 Michigan follows next and has an average margin of victory of just under 35 points per game while only allowing two rushing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in eight games.
Florida State closed the top four as an undefeated team with No. 5 Washington being the first undefeated team to miss out on the top four.
UNDEFEATED TRACKER: Here’s a look at all of the undefeated FBS teams
One-loss teams in the top 10
No. 6 Oregon leads all of the one-loss teams, with its only loss coming to a Washington team ranked in the top five.
No. 7 Texas stayed above No. 8 Alabama, thanks to a head-to-head win back in September, but No. 9 Oklahoma’s head-to-head win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry didn’t carry the same weight with the Sooners opening the CFP rankings two spots behind. No. 10 Ole Miss rounded out the top 10 with a head-to-head loss against Alabama.
Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since served as an FCS, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat reporter. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships and Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered the 2022 College Football Playoff’s Peach Bowl and HBCU sporting events like the Celebration Bowl and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, earning a degree in Professional Writing and playing football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter @stan_becton.
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2023-10-31 23:29:51
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