First-look CFP rankings: Rocky Top on top while Big Blue is singing the blues

Michigan on the outside looking in at UT, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson in the initial final four

PublishedNovember 2, 2022

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Start Slideshow

Tennessee is No. 1 in the first CFP rankings

The initial College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday, and as usual, a few fanbases came away upset. However, one long-struggling group of orange-clad supporters walked away ecstatic. The Tennessee Volunteers saw their name atop the heap, and in the history of the CFP, only one team ranked No. 1 in the debut poll didn’t make it to the playoff. (Dak Prescott’s Mississippi State Bulldogs being the odd program out in the first season of the now outdated format in 2014.)

Here’s the full 25.

This weekend’s Tennessee-Georgia matchup is monumental, and it’ll become even more crucial if Alabama can top No. 10 LSU in Baton Rouge. The winner will likely make it to the SEC title game unbeaten, and would be in the final four with a close loss to the Tide should they make it.

The loser’s path will become vastly more uncertain as it’ll need Nick Saban’s team to falter, and they’ve only missed out on the CFP once in its eight years of existence. The Bulldogs’ hopes of a repeat will be in serious jeopardy with the committee unimpressed by their wins outside of catching Oregon opening week.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

2 / 9

Happiest non-Tennessee fanbase: LSU Tigers

Image for article titled First-look CFP rankings: Rocky Top on top while Big Blue is singing the blues — Image: Getty Images

It’s really hard to tell how much value is placed on early season strength of schedule. Michigan’s non-conference got it knocked out of the top four, UGA’s win over the Ducks was more impressive than Ohio State’s close game against Notre Dame, yet they’re flip-flopped, and I guess Brian Kelly’s loss in his debut against Florida State was a throwaway.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

3 / 9

LSU (cont’d)

How many spots could LSU jump with a victory over Bama on Saturday? If the Tigers beat the No. 6 team in the country, are they better than a couple of one-loss Pac-12 teams? I don’t know. They got smashed by Tennessee at home, and FSU was 1-3 in the month of October with the only triumph over Georgia Tech and its interim coach.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

4 / 9

Angriest fanbase: Michigan Wolverines

Only one team has kept a contest of manhood against Jim Harbaugh’s squad in single digits, and that Maryland game wasn’t as close as the final indicated. The Wolverines have the fifth-best rushing attack in the country, and second among power five schools. The defense is allowing 11 points per game, and Michigan beat then-No. 10 Penn State by 24.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

5 / 9

Michigan (cont’d)

Of course, the Wolverines’ out-of-conference schedule was atrocious, and they’ve only played one of the three other Big Ten teams in the Top 25. They’ll obviously get their shot at Ohio State on Thanksgiving weekend, but will have a chance to boost their standing the week prior with a game against upstart No. 16 Illinois. Between this placement and the brawl with Michigan State last weekend, god help Rutgers on Saturday.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

6 / 9

Team outside of the top 10 with the best shot to play on Dec. 31: UCLA Bruins

Chip Kelly’s team potentially has two games against top nine schools left in No. 9 USC on Nov. 19 and the Pac-12 title game if they beat the Trojans. A rematch on a neutral field against Oregon would be a helluva game considering the fireworks we saw in Eugene between the two squads and a couple of bounces (and a surprise onside kick) here or there that separated them.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

7 / 9

UCLA (Cont’d)

While they’d need help ahead of them with losses, the entire top 10 has outside of TCU and possibly Clemson has games versus fellow top 10 teams remaining. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet are one of the most lethal duos in the country, and the Bruins have more than enough skill players around them to make noise.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

8 / 9

How drunk would the impending 12-team playoff look: A little tipsy

This is the first iteration of the standings before a couple of handfuls of cocaine and a few rounds of Russian roulette get introduced, so at first glance, all of the 12 teams are worthy entries. However, the highest-ranked non-power five school gets an automatic bid, which means No. 19 Tulane would leapfrog seven schools — and their outraged supporters — for the right to get blasted by No. 5 Michigan in the opening round.

There’s already a two-loss program ahead of one-loss Illinois and North Carolina, and this rhyme and reasons for the dozen squads that make it are going to be as subjective as people’s top 12 favorite rappers.

Best of luck, CFP committee. I’m glad it’s not me.

9 / 9