Ohio State and LSU are 1-2 in first College Football Playoff rankings

The first ranking of the College Football Playoff was released Tuesday and Ohio State is the No. 1 team.

The Buckeyes are the CFP’s first No. 1 team not from the Southeastern or Atlantic Coast Conference. LSU, Alabama and Penn State round out the top four.

Defending national champion Clemson is on the outside looking in at No. 5. Georgia leads the pack of one-loss teams at No. 6.

Cincinnati is the highest-ranked team from the Group of 5 coming in at No. 20. Four other teams in the American Athletic Conference are ranked behind the Bearcats.

Oregon was the highest-ranked team from the Pac-12, coming in at No. 7. Utah is No. 8.

Despite the undefeated record, the committee felt Minnesota’s strength of schedule has not been impressive enough to earn a top-15 ranking. The Golden Gophers are No. 17 but will have a chance to prove themselves when they play No. 4 Penn State on Saturday.

The rankings also set up a clash between No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Big Ten Conference has the most teams ranked with six, followed by the SEC with five. Four of the five SEC teams are in the top 10.

1. Ohio State

2. LSU

3. Alabama

4. Penn State

5. Clemson

6. Georgia

7. Oregon

8. Utah

9. Oklahoma

10. Florida

11. Auburn

12. Baylor

13. Wisconsin

14. Michigan

15. Notre Dame

16. Kansas State

17. Minnesota

18. Iowa

19. Wake Forest

20. Cincinnati

21. Memphis

22. Boise State

23. Oklahoma State

24. Navy

25. Southern Methodist

If the season ended today, these would be the projected New Year’s Six Bowls:

Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. (Playoff semifinal, Dec. 28)

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Penn State

Peach Bowl in Atlanta (Playoff semifinal, Dec. 28)

No. 2 LSU vs. No. 3 Alabama

Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas (Dec. 28)

No. 8 Utah vs. No. 20 Cincinnati

Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Dec. 30)

No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 10 Florida

Rose Bowl in Pasadena (Jan. 1, 2020)

No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 13 Wisconsin

Sugar Bowl in New Orleans (Jan. 1, 2020)

No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 9 Oklahoma

The second rankings will be released Nov. 12.