The first edition of the 2019 College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night, and Ohio State and LSU came in first and second, followed by Alabama and Penn State to round out the top four. Defending champion Clemson checked in at No. 5, one spot ahead the highest-ranked 1-loss team, Georgia.
It is the first time in 25 edition’s of the committee’s rankings that Clemson has not been in the top four.
Ohio State is No. 1 in the first CFP Top 25 of the 2019 season. The No. 1 team in the initial CFP has gone on to make the playoffs each of the last four seasons.
— CollegeFootballTalk (@CFTalk) November 6, 2019
Obviously, the most significant game of the season to date arrives Saturday when No. 2 LSU visits No. 3 Alabama. No. 4 Penn State visits No. 17 Minnesota, who checks in four spots lower than their AP ranking.
In the biggest departure from the AP poll, Oklahoma State checked in at No. 23. The Cowboys received only 11 votes in Sunday’s poll, putting them seven spots ahead of where the AP placed them.
Another significant point of intrigue heading into Tuesday was the Group of 5 rankings amid the most competitive race to date. Cincinnati leads the chase at No. 20, followed closely by No. 21 Memphis, No. 22 Boise State, No. 24 Navy and No. 25 SMU.
The full rankings:
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. SMU