PULLMAN, Wash. — Undefeated Oregon got top billing Tuesday in the first set of rankings on the road to college football's new 12-team playoff.
A 13-member selection committee released its first top-25 list and saw what most of the country has seen this year - that with a 9-0 record, five wins in the Big Ten by three touchdowns or more, and a key victory over Ohio State, coach Dan Lanning’s Ducks are the best in the country.
Washington State was ranked No. 21 in the committee's first rankings and the only team the Cougs have lost to this season, Boise State, was ranked No. 12, which means the Broncos would be in the playoff if the season ended today.
One-loss teams Ohio State, Georgia and Miami were ranked 2, 3 and 4, respectively, in this, the first of six weekly polls the committee will release, culminating with the Dec. 8 rankings that will be used to slot teams into a bracket. Alabama was ranked No. 11 - the only two-loss team to crack a top 12 that mirrored the AP's latest poll in every spot except Nos. 2 and 3, where the Buckeyes and Bulldogs were flipped.
The playoffs start Dec. 20-21, with the 5-12 seeds in action at the better seed's home field, and close with the national title game in Atlanta on Jan. 20.
