The Committee says the Buckeyes are the top team in the land.
After an 8-0 start, Ohio State debuts at No. 1 in the first set of College Football Playoff rankings of the season, marking the fist time the Buckeyes have ever been the top team in the rankings.
Ohio State is joined in the top four by No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Penn State ahead of this weekend's matchup between LSU and the Crimson Tide.
"Ohio state has performed at a very consistent level, really good on both sides of the ball, explosive offensive playmakers and chase young is as disruptive a defensive player as there is in the country," committee chairman Rob Mullens said regarding Ohio State's ranking. "They perform at a consistently high level every week."
The Buckeyes have two wins over two teams ranked in the debut College Football Playoff rankings – No. 20 Cincinnati and No. 13 Wisconsin – with games against No. 14 Michigan and No. 4 Penn State remaining on the regular season slate, along with a potential Big Ten Championship matchup.
Of the five teams ranked No. 1 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, three of them were still No. 1 in the final rankings and four of them ultimately made the playoff. However, the team ranked in the top of the initial rankings has never won the national title.
Here are the full rankings:
| No. | Team | Conference | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OHIO STATE | BIG TEN | 8-0 |
| 2 | LSU | SEC | 8-0 |
| 3 | ALABAMA | SEC | 8-0 |
| 4 | PENN STATE | BIG TEN | 8-0 |
| 5 | CLEMSON | ACC | 9-0 |
| 6 | GEORGIA | SEC | 7-1 |
| 7 | OREGON | PAC-12 | 8-1 |
| 8 | UTAH | PAC-12 | 8-1 |
| 9 | OKLAHOMA | BIG 12 | 7-1 |
| 10 | FLORIDA | SEC | 7-2 |
| 11 | AUBURN | SEC | 7-2 |
| 12 | BAYLOR | BIG 12 | 8-0 |
| 13 | WISCONSIN | BIG TEN | 6-2 |
| 14 | MICHIGAN | BIG TEN | 7-2 |
| 15 | NOTRE DAME | INDEPENDENT | 6-2 |
| 16 | KANSAS STATE | BIG 12 | 6-2 |
| 17 | MINNESOTA | BIG TEN | 8-0 |
| 18 | IOWA | BIG TEN | 6-2 |
| 19 | WAKE FOREST | ACC | 7-1 |
| 20 | CINCINNATI | AMERICAN | 7-1 |
| 21 | MEMPHIS | AMERICAN | 8-1 |
| 22 | BOISE STATE | MOUNTAIN WEST | 7-1 |
| 23 | OKLAHOMA STATE | BIG 12 | 6-3 |
| 24 | NAVY | AMERICAN | 7-1 |
| 25 | SMU | AMERICAN | 8-1 |
