By: Damian C. Reynolds
Which football teams are in the top position to compete for this year’s national title? The College Football Playoff committee will release its second top 25 rankings of the 2015 season today at 7 p.m. The Top 10 rankings when the committee released the inaugural rankings on Nov. 3 were:
- Clemson (8-0)
- LSU (7-0)
- Ohio State (8-0)
- Alabama (7-1)
- Notre Dame (7-1)
- Baylor (7-0)
- Michigan State (8-0)
- TCU (8-0)
- Iowa (8-0)
- Florida (7-1).
Tonight’s Top 10 will be different since three of these teams lost over the weekend:
- Clemson defeated No. 16 Florida State 23-13
- LSU lost to No. 4 Alabama 16-30
- Ohio State defeated Minnesota 28-14]
- Alabama defeated LSU 30-16
- Notre Dame defeated Pittsburgh 42-30
- Baylor defeated Kansas State 31-24
- Michigan State lost to Nebraska 38-39
- TCU lost to No. 14 Oklahoma State 29-49
- Iowa defeated Indiana 35-27
- Florida defeated Vanderbilt 9-7
Losses by LSU, Michigan State and TCU will move them down in the rankings. And things will continue to change as the season wraps up its final weeks. Three of the top four teams in last year’s original playoff ranking didn’t make the playoffs. The Top 10 teams in that first ranking in 2014 were:
- Mississippi State (7-0)
- Florida State (7-0)
- Auburn (6-1)
- Mississippi (7-1)
- Oregon (7-1)
- Alabama (7-1)
- TCU (6-1)
- Michigan State (7-1)
- Kansas State (6-1)
- Notre Dame (6-1)
The Final Four teams in 2014 were:
- Alabama (12-1)
- Oregon (12-1)
- Florida State (13-0)
- Ohio State (12-1).
Last year’s national champion, Ohio State, started at No. 16. The Buckeyes eventually crept into the last spot when the committee released its final rankings. Ohio State beat No. 1 Alabama 42-35 in last year’s semifinal matchup and beat No. 2 Oregon 42-20 in the national championship game.
This year’s final College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Dec. 6. The top four teams will then go into a playoff, with the No. 1 team taking on the No. 4 team, and the No. 2 team playing the No. 3 team.
