Texas Vines – Undefeated Tennessee took the No. 1 spot. Tuesday’s No. 1 spot in the initial top 25 for the College Football Playoffs, marking the first top-four finish in the program’s history, was followed by No. 25. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 3. 4 Clemson.
The 13-member committee placed the undefeated record at No. 1. 5. Alabama lost. 6 Lead undefeated. 7 TCUs. For each of the past six years, Alabama has been in the top three in the initial rankings. Alabama has never been lower than No. 1. Ranked 6th in the committee’s first ranking, as it achieved the same position in 2014.
Tennessee averaged 49 points per game and led FBS in total offense, becoming the seventh different program to clinch the top spot at any point in the postseason era. The Vols entered Tuesday’s initial rankings at No. 1. Ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s “record strength” metric, the best win in the country, against No. 1. 6 Alabama.
“When you look at the (former) three teams, the two wins at Alabama and LSU really set the stage for Tennessee,” said North Carolina Athletic Director and CFP Committee Chairman Bucor Regan Speaking on ESPN TV.
When asked about the difference between Ohio State and Georgia at No. 1. At No. 2, Corrigan said one of the main factors the committee was concerned about was “the explosive nature of their offense at Ohio State.”
Seven of the past eight teams have been No. 1. The first of the committee’s firsts has entered the CFP. The only exception was Mississippi State in 2014, the CFP’s first season.
In the absence of. 8. Oregon is the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12.
Tennessee and Georgia will meet Saturday in a game that will have a huge impact on the committee’s second-place ranking, while Ohio State and Michigan will finally meet in their regular-season matchup.
“We don’t really focus on meetings, we focus on individual teams,” Corrigan said. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to pick the best teams and lock them in the right way.”