By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer
Undefeated Oregon got top billing on Tuesday in the first set of rankings on the road to college football’s new 12-team playoff.
A 13-member selection committee released its first top-25 list, and saw what most of the country has seen this year – that with a 9-0 record, five wins in the Big Ten by three touchdowns or more, and a key victory over Ohio State, Coach Dan Lanning’s Ducks are the best in the country.
Ohio State, Georgia and Miami were ranked 2, 3 and 4, respectively, in the first of six weekly polls the committee will release, culminating with the Dec. 8 rankings that will be used to slot teams into a bracket. Alabama was ranked No. 11 – the only two-loss team to crack a top 12 that mirrored the AP’s latest poll in every spot except Nos. 2 and 3, where the Buckeyes and Bulldogs were flipped.
“We’re splitting hairs as far as looking at two great teams,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, who serves as chair of the selection committee, in mentioning Ohio State’s one-point loss to Oregon vs. Georgia’s seven-point loss to the Tide. The Bulldogs fell 41-34 at Alabama, after trailing by 28 points in the first half, and had closer-than-expected wins over Kentucky, Mississippi State and Florida. Georgia defeated Texas, 30-15, on the road on Oct. 19. The Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in the AP poll at the time.
The rankings don’t directly correlate to where the teams would fall in the bracket. The four best-ranked conference champions receive first-round byes, which according to this ranking would belong to No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten), No. 3 Georgia (SEC), No. 4 Miami (ACC) and No. 9 BYU (Big 12).
The rest of the teams in the fictional first-week bracket and their rankings: No. 5 Texas, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 8 Indiana and No. 10 Notre Dame.
Boise State was ranked 12th, which would equal its seeding in the bracket as champion of the Mountain West Conference.
The committee had Alabama at No. 11 over a handful of one-loss teams, but the Tide’s strength of schedule clearly helped them leap over teams like No. 13 SMU, No. 17 Iowa State and No. 18 Pitt, who play in weaker conferences.
The first-round games, played Dec. 20-21 at the better seed’s home field, would look like this: Boise State at Ohio State, Alabama at Texas, Notre Dame at Penn State and Indiana at Tennessee.
The four quarterfinals will be staged at the Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.), the Peach Bowl (Atlanta), the Rose Bowl (Pasadena) and the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The semifinals will take place at the Orange Bowl (Miami) and the Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas) on Jan. 9 and 10, with the national championship game scheduled for Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The SEC and Big Ten each had four teams in the top 12. Undefeated BYU is the lone Big 12 program in the top 12, and unbeaten Miami is the only ACC team in the top 12 after Clemson suffered its second loss last week, to Louisville at home.
Indiana, which is 9-0 for the first time in program history after beating Michigan State, 47-10, last week, was one spot ahead of BYU. The Hoosiers haven’t yet beaten a ranked opponent and have played the 103rd-ranked schedule to this point. They host defending national champion Michigan on Saturday and play at Ohio State on Nov. 23.
The Cougars are 8-0 heading into Saturday’s game at rival Utah. They won, 18-15, at SMU and routed Kansas State, 38-9, at home.
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“I mean Indiana, their strength of schedule is not as strong as BYU,” Manuel said. “But what Indiana has done on the field, when we look at those games, they’re winning by double digits, averaging 33 points a game more than their opponents. They’re solid on both sides, offensively and defensively. They’re just a really, really great team, and so is BYU.”
The first team out was No. 13 SMU while Army, with an 8-0 record and leading the American Athletic Conference, barely squeaked into the rankings at No. 25.
Texas A&M was No. 14, followed by LSU, Mississippi, Iowa State, Pitt, Kansas State and Colorado. Washington State was at No. 21, with Louisville, Clemson, Missouri and Army rounding out the top 25.
After 10 years with a four-team playoff, Manuel said the group’s mission hasn’t changed with an expanded bracket.
“The process is the same,” Manuel said. “We rank the best 25 teams, one through 25, and that’s exactly what this process is designed to do from the very beginning.”
WHAT WILL CHANGE THIS WEEK?
LSU is ranked No. 15 and hosts Alabama on Saturday in what feels like an elimination game for the loser.
Also this week, Georgia plays at No. 17 Ole Miss; the Rebels’ two losses have both come by a field goal – to Kentucky and LSU.
Indiana hosts Michigan and is favored by 12½, barreling toward a Nov. 23 matchup against Ohio State.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS (Nov. 5)
1. Oregon (9-0)
2. Ohio State (7-1)
3. Georgia (7-1)
4. Miami (9-0)
5. Texas (7-1)
6. Penn State (7-1)
7. Tennessee (7-1)
8. Indiana (9-0)
9. BYU (8-0)
10. Notre Dame (7-1)
11. Alabama (6-2)
12. Boise State (7-1)
13. SMU (8-1)
14. Texas A&M (7-2)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Mississippi (7-2)
17. Iowa State (7-1)
18. Pittsburgh (7-1)
19. Kansas State (7-2)
20. Colorado (6-2)
21. Washington State (7-1)
22. Louisville (6-3)
23. Clemson (6-2)
24. Missouri (6-2)
25. Army (8-0)