The College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee released its initial rankings for the 2022-2023 season on Tuesday.
The 13-member committee placed undefeated Tennessee in the No.1 spot, marking the first time in the program’s history it has been in the top four in any CFP rankings.
Ohio State is No.2, followed by No.3 Georgia and No.4 Clemson.
Tennessee earning the top spot in the CFP rankings makes their matchup this Saturday against No.3 Georgia even more historic. It will be the first time since the CFP began in 2014 that the committee’s No.1 team will face the Associated Press’ top-ranked team.
Outside the top four, undefeated Michigan is No.5, followed by one-loss Alabama at No.6 ahead of undefeated No.7 TCU.
Alabama, which lost to No.1 Tennessee and almost fell to Texas A&M and Texas, likely got the nod over an undefeated TCU team because of playing in the more competitive Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The SEC has five teams in the top 11 of the committee’s first rankings, while TCU is the only Big 12 team in the top 12.
Oklahoma State likely would have been in the top 10 if the initial rankings were released last week, but they are No.18 after getting thrashed 48-0 by Kansas State, which was placed at No. 13.
Texas, at No.24, is the fourth and final Big 12 team in the rankings and the only team with three losses in the committee’s top 25.
CFP committee chair, NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan, explained why a one-loss Alabama team was placed ahead of a TCU team with an unblemished record.
“We’re looking for a balanced team, offense, and defense,” Corrigan said.
“They’ve (TCU) gotten behind in games,” Corrigan continued. “They’ve been able to come back and win those games. But when you look at Alabama — in the wins against Mississippi State, at Arkansas, at Texas, and obviously the three-point loss at Tennessee — as a committee, we decided to go Alabama No.6 and TCU No.7.”
TCU did have to overcome double-digit deficits against No.13 Kansas State and No.18 Oklahoma State. Still, they came back to win those games, and many regard those victories as more impressive than any on Alabama’s resume.
Aside from its narrow wins against No.24 Texas and Texas A&M, Alabama lost 52-49 to No.1 Tennessee in perhaps the most exciting game of the season and has wins against Utah State, UL Monroe, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Mississippi State.
Alabama will get the chance to earn its most impressive win so far when it travels to face No.10 LSU on Saturday. That contest will be critical in deciding the SEC West champion.
Meanwhile, TCU went four consecutive weeks in October of beating teams ranked in the AP’s top 25: Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State.
TCU will host Texas Tech this Saturday before facing perhaps their toughest remaining regular-season test in the form of a road game against No.24 Texas next Saturday.
Even with the slight of being placed below a one-loss team in the initial rankings, TCU knows if it wins out, it will be almost impossible to be left out of the top four of the final rankings, giving them a spot in the CFP.
In the history of CFP, no undefeated Power Five conference champion has been left out of the playoffs.
However, being placed below a one-loss SEC team in the initial rankings indicates TCU will be in trouble if it suffers just one loss during the rest of the season. If it drops a game, TCU will be compared to the second-best team from the Big Ten or SEC, and the committee has shown it will favor a team from a more competitive conference.
The committee will update the rankings every Tuesday through the rest of the regular season and after conference championship week.
Full CFP Rankings:
- Tennessee (8-0)
- Ohio State (8-0)
- Georgia (8-0)
- Clemson (8-0)
- Michigan (8-0)
- Alabama (7-1)
- TCU (8-0)
- Oregon (7-1)
- USC (7-1)
- LSU (6-2)
- Mississippi (8-1)
- UCLA (7-1)
- Kansas State (6-2)
- Utah (6-2)
- Penn State (6-2)
- Illinois (7-1)
- North Carolina (7-1)
- Oklahoma State (6-2)
- Tulane (7-1)
- Syracuse (6-2)
- Wake Forest (6-2)
- NC State (6-2)
- Oregon State (6-2)
- Texas (5-3)
- UCF (6-2)
