5 thoughts on the first College Football Playoff rankings of 2019

The College Football Playoff committee unveiled its first rankings of the season on Tuesday - and the list featured a couple of surprises.

Here are five reactions to the committee's initial top 25:

Clemson at No. 5 is spot on - and ultimately won't matter

Past success isn't supposed to influence the present season. So while Clemson is the defending national champion, the committee's placement of the Tigers at No. 5 is perfectly within reason.

Dabo Swinney's team is 9-0. It's won 24 consecutive games dating back to the start of last season. And ESPN's Football Power Index gives Clemson a 78% chance of winning out. If the Tigers do that, they'll surely be one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

For now, though, one can make the case Clemson has not been as impressive as Ohio State, LSU, Alabama, or Penn State in 2019. Clemson's best win to date came over unranked Texas A&M. (Alabama's best win is also over Texas A&M, but the Crimson Tide beat the Aggies on the road). The Tigers also had a close call against a 4-5 North Carolina team.

CFP committee chair and Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said Penn State edged Clemson for the No. 4 spot because of the Nittany Lions' strength of schedule.

"We had a lengthy discussion about Penn State and Clemson, two really, really good teams, both strong defensively," Mullens said on a conference call with reporters. "In the end, what it came down to - and again, much debate - Penn State has marquee wins against 14th-ranked Michigan and a road win at 18th-ranked Iowa.

"In addition, they have a nonconference win over (Pittsburgh), which is a pretty good win at this point."

The good news for Clemson: This No. 5 won't matter. LSU plays Alabama this week and Ohio State still has to play Penn State. The teams ahead of Clemson are going to fall behind so long as the Tigers continue to win.

The committee got the top two right

Through a combination of dominant play and strength of schedule, Ohio State and LSU have been the best teams in the country through 10 weeks.

In a world recently dominated by Alabama and Clemson, these latest rankings are a jarring sight. But there's no arguing the Buckeyes and Tigers deserve their slots as of Nov. 5.

Ohio State has overwhelmed every team on its schedule. In Week 2, it beat Cincinnati 42-0. The Bearcats haven't lost since.

Two weeks ago, Ohio State beat Wisconsin - which the committee ranked 13th - by 31 points.

"Obviously, we have data. They're highly ranked in just about every statistical category both offensively and defensively," Mullens said. "Again, when you watch their games, they play at a consistent high level."

For LSU, the schedule has meant as much as the dominant play. The Tigers own wins over No. 10 Florida and No. 11 Auburn. No team boasts a better pair of victories.

Good news for the Pac-12, but not for Oklahoma

As Oregon's athletic director, Mullens must recuse himself from any discussions about the Ducks; he wasn't in the room as the rest of the committee debated the resumes of Oregon, Utah, and Oklahoma before ranking them Nos. 7, 8, and 9, respectively.

But when asked Tuesday, Mullens was able to characterize the rationale of the other committee members.

"What was relayed to me is that obviously Oregon has won eight in a row, quality road wins at Washington and USC, and the only loss was on a neutral field on the last play of the game against the team that's ranked No. 11," Mullens said. "Specifically as it relates to Oregon and Utah, Utah's only loss is at USC, a game that Oregon won."

Tuesday was a win for the Pac-12, which hasn't produced a playoff team since 2016. Right now, Oregon is best positioned to capitalize as the SEC and Big Ten races unfold. If the Ducks and Utes win out, they'll get to face each other in a matchup of top-10 teams in the Pac-12 Championship. That could be enough to get the winner into the final four.

For Oklahoma, the news is less promising. Coming off a loss to No. 16 Kansas State, the Sooners are going to need some help to reach the playoff for the fourth time in five years.

The Group of 5 race is tight

The last two undefeated teams in the Group of 5 both lost this weekend, as Appalachian State fell to Georgia Southern and SMU lost at Memphis. Those losses opened up the race for a New Year's Six bowl (likely the Cotton Bowl).

With a quality win over UCF and a "quality loss" to Ohio State, Cincinnati is leading the pack at No. 20. But several teams wait behind the Bearcats: No. 21 Memphis, No. 22 Boise State, No. 24 Navy, and No. 25 SMU.

The AAC champion will likely represent the Group of 5; Cincinnati's game at Memphis on Nov. 29 will be extremely consequential.

A reminder: Chaos has happened before

Here's a great piece of trivia if you want to impress your friends: Which team ranked No. 1 in the first CFP ranking on Oct. 28, 2014?

Answer: Mississippi State.

The 2014 season was particularly chaotic, with Ohio State rising from 16th in the initial ranking to national champion. It serves as a reminder that a team doesn't have to be ranked in the top four - or even the top 10 - to make the playoff.

Here's a look at where the eventual playoff teams were slotted in the first CFP rankings of each of the last five seasons:

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018