Ohio State tops the first edition of this season's College Football Playoff rankings as Georgia, Michigan, and Florida State round out the top-4
- Michigan's ranking comes amid the controversy of a sign stealing investigation
- The Buckeyes currently have the strongest strength of schedule of the top-4
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The Ohio State Buckeyes have been ranked No. 1 in the first edition of this season's College Football Playoff rankings.
Ranking just behind the Buckeyes are the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs, No. 3 Michigan Wolverines, and No. 4 Florida State Seminoles. Each of the teams currently in the top-4 all carry undefeated records of 8-0.
Michigan's ranking comes amid the controversy of the ongoing investigation into sign-stealing allegations.
Ranking just outside the top-4 are the No. 5 Washington Huskies, who also sit at 8-0 and are slotted just ahead of the No. 6 Texas Longhorns.
'We looked at it, the big win over Notre Dame, and the win over Penn State, and they have difference makers on offense,' CFP chair Boo Corrigan said, referring to the Buckeyes on ESPN's rankings release show. 'We looked at it, Ohio State deserved to be number one.'
![The Ohio State Buckeyes are No. 1 in the first release of the College Football Playoff rankings](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/01/00/77248311-0-image-a-65_1698798973465.jpg)
The Ohio State Buckeyes are No. 1 in the first release of the College Football Playoff rankings
![Following them with the No. 2 ranking are the reigning National Champion Georgia Bulldogs](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/01/00/77248341-0-image-a-66_1698798996541.jpg)
Following them with the No. 2 ranking are the reigning National Champion Georgia Bulldogs
So far this season Ohio State has played a tougher schedule than Georgia and have two top-15 victories. The Buckeyes defeated No. 11 Penn State and No. 15 Notre Dame.
Georgia has not played a top-25 yet this year and currently ranks 100th in strength of schedule. Meanwhile the Wolverines rank even lower at No. 111.
The first of six rankings sets the table for a month of scrutiny on the top teams and their performances.
The final rankings will be released December 3, after the conference championship games, and those set the four-team playoff field, with semifinals at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl ahead of the national championship game on Jan. 8 in Houston.
This is the final season of the four-team format before the playoff expands to 12 teams next season.
Four is the magic number for now and rarely in the nine previous years of the playoff have all four teams in the initial rankings actually made it to the playoff.
Last year, Tennessee was the committee´s first No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson. Only the Bulldogs and Buckeyes made the playoff.
![The Florida State Seminoles ranked No. 3](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/01/00/77248425-0-Florida_State_defensive_lineman_Jared_Verse-a-74_1698799326729.jpg)
![The Michigan Wolverines ranked No. 4](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/11/01/00/77248463-0-Michigan_Wolverines_quarterback_J_J_McCarthy-m-73_1698799317705.jpg)
Florida State and Michigan round out the other two teams in the top-4 of the CFP rankings
Overall, 21 of the 36 teams (58 percent) that have appeared in the first CFP rankings of a season have made the playoff.
Among the 36 teams that have made the playoff in nine years, 29 started in the top six.
The longest climb to the CFP was Ohio State in 2014, when the Buckeyes were 16th in the committee´s first ranking. Oklahoma was No. 15 in the first rankings in 2015 and made the playoff.
Just once have the initial CFP rankings revealed the eventual playoff field. That was 2020, the pandemic season, which was far from normal in so many ways.