College Football Playoff Rankings: The Georgia Bulldogs Falter to Third in First Edition, Tennessee Ranks No. 1 for First Time

A hotly anticipated and highly contentious moment in the 2022 college football season is upon us. The launch of the initial College Football Playoff rankings tonight renders all other polls pointless as the race to reach the final four heats up.

Between now and “Selection Sunday” on Dec. 4, these CFP rankings will be released weekly, revealing the four teams that will contend for a shot at the College Football National Championship.

College Football Playoff Rankings

For every team in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, you’ll find a series of stats. Those include their rankings by multiple outlets — including Pro Football Network’s College Football Top 25 — following Week 9 of the college season. SOS stands for strength of schedule and is from sports-reference.com. It attempts to quantify how easy a team’s schedule has been. The higher the number, the harder the schedule.

1) Tennessee Volunteers

AP Poll: 2nd | Coaches Poll: 3rd | PFN Ranking: 4th | Record: 8-0 | Offensive Rank: 1/131 | Defensive Rank: 26/131 | Points scored: 395 (49.4 PPG) | Points allowed: 168 (21.0 PAPG) | SOS: 1.51 (50/131)

The Tennessee Volunteers are a deserved top-ranked team in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. With wins against Alabama and a 10th ranked LSU Tigers team on their résumé, they boast multiple ranked wins and also have the highest ranked win after their shootout with the Crimson Tide. Hendon Hooker’s inevitable run to the Heisman Trophy has fuelled the nation’s No. 1 offense, with wide receiver Jalin Hyatt leading the nation in receiving touchdowns. Their electric offense absolutely passes the eye test.

2) Ohio State Buckeyes

AP Poll: 3rd | Coaches Poll: 2nd | PFN Ranking: 1st | Record: 8-0 | Offensive Rank: 2/131 | Defensive Rank: 10/131 | Points scored: 391 (48.9 PPG) | Points allowed: 135 (16.9 PAPG) | SOS: 3.16 (30/131)

A drastically overhauled defense that has proved dominant this season has helped Ohio State establish itself as a frontrunner in the College Football Playoffs rankings. It also helps when you have the second-ranked offense in the nation behind superstar signal-caller C.J. Stroud and a plethora of potent pass catchers. Having missed out on the College Football Playoffs last fall, the Buckeyes are back in the mix after the first CFP rankings. As long as they win out, Ohio State looks like a lock to represent the Big Ten in the final four.

3) Georgia Bulldogs

AP Poll: 1st | Coaches Poll: 1st | PFN Ranking: 2nd | Record: 8-0 | Offensive Rank: 6/131 | Defensive Rank: 2/131 | Points scored: 334 (41.8 PPG) | Points allowed: 84 (10.5 PAPG) | SOS: 0.69 (59/131)

The Georgia Bulldogs have quietly gone about the defense of their national title in an imperious fashion. The defense has barely missed a beat despite the loss of a plethora of high-profile players. The offense, led by Stetson Bennett IV but electrified by Brock Bowers, has ensured that — Missouri mishap aside — they’ve been able to blow their opposition out of the water each and every week. Only ranking third was somewhat of a surprise, but a win over Tennessee on Saturday should rocket the Bulldogs back up to the top of the tree.

4) Clemson Tigers

AP Poll: 5th | Coaches Poll: 5th | PFN Ranking: 5th | Record: 8-0 | Offensive Rank: 19/131 | Defensive Rank: 21/131 | Points scored: 297 (37.1 PPG) | Points allowed: 159 (19.9 PAPG) | SOS: 1.27 (52/131)

The fourth and final spot in the College Football Playoff rankings promises to be hotly contested between now and selection Sunday. Despite many believing the Big Ten and SEC would annex the top four, the CFP committee sprang something of a surprise with Clemson occupying the initial fourth spot. An undefeated Power Five team on a conference title collision course shouldn’t be a surprise, but a slow start and some offensive question marks had clouded Clemson’s chances of ascending into the upper echelons of the CFP rankings.

5) Michigan Wolverines

AP Poll: 4th | Coaches Poll: 4th | PFN Ranking: 3rd | Record: 8-0 | Offensive Rank: 8/131 | Defensive Rank: 3/131 | Points scored: 328 (41.0 PPG) | Points allowed: 92 (11.5 PAPG) | SOS: -1.86 (82/131)

Having represented the Big Ten in last season’s College Football Playoffs, the Michigan Wolverines find themselves on the outside looking in following the initial CFP rankings show. Described as “workmanlike” by Boo Corrigan, the Wolverines’ run game dominance and defensive frugality were clearly not enough to impress the committee enough despite spanking a common opponent with second-ranked Ohio State. “The Game” rivalry with the Buckeyes, and a Big Ten title, is now crucial to any chance of reaching the final four.

6) Alabama Crimson Tide

AP Poll: 6th | Coaches Poll: 6th | PFN Ranking: 6th | Record: 7-1 | Offensive Rank: 4/131 | Defensive Rank: 7/131 | Points scored: 345 (43.1 PPG) | Points allowed: 133 (16.6 PAPG) | SOS: 5.07 (17/131)

Rule out Alabama at your peril. Despite some unbeaten teams behind them, the Crimson Tide secure the sixth spot in the initial College Football Playoffs rankings. Their only loss came in a narrow defeat to Tennessee, and if they win out, Nick Saban’s team will have a number of College Football Playoff ranking wins on their résumé when the final rankings are announced in early December. Winning the SEC Championship would be a surefire way to ensure their inclusion in the final four, and that is still very much in their sights.

7) TCU Horned Frogs

AP Poll: 7th | Coaches Poll: 7th | PFN Ranking: 7th | Record: 8-0 | Offensive Rank: 3/131 | Defensive Rank: 74/131 | Points scored: 354 (44.2 PPG) | Points allowed: 218 (27.2 PAPG) | SOS: 3.68 (28/131)

8) Oregon Ducks

AP Poll: 8th | Coaches Poll: 8th | PFN Ranking: 8th | Record: 7-1 | Offensive Rank: 5/131 | Defensive Rank: 81/131 | Points scored: 339 (42.4 PPG) | Points allowed: 227 (28.4 PAPG) | SOS: 2.79 (35/131)

9) USC Trojans

AP Poll: 9th | Coaches Poll: 9th | PFN Ranking: 9th | Record: 7-1 | Offensive Rank: 9/131 | Defensive Rank: 51/131 | Points scored: 328 (41.0 PPG) | Points allowed: 192 (24.0 PAPG) | SOS: 2.18 (46/131)

10) LSU Tigers

AP Poll: 15th | Coaches Poll: 17th | PFN Ranking: 16th | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 28/131 | Defensive Rank: 27/131 | Points scored: 281 (35.1 PPG) | Points allowed: 169 (21.1 PAPG) | SOS: 4.49 (21/131)

11) Ole Miss Rebels

AP Poll: 11th | Coaches Poll: 10th | PFN Ranking: 11th | Record: 8-1 | Offensive Rank: 18/131 | Defensive Rank: 34/131 | Points scored: 337 (37.4 PPG) | Points allowed: 194 (21.6 PAPG) | SOS: 0.58 (60/131)

12) UCLA Bruins

AP Poll: 10th | Coaches Poll: 11th | PFN Ranking: 10th | Record: 7-1 | Offensive Rank: 11/131 | Defensive Rank: 59/131 | Points scored: 317 (39.6 PPG) | Points allowed: 194 (24.2 PAPG) | SOS: 1.01 (55/131)

13) Kansas State Wildcats

AP Poll: 13th | Coaches Poll: 14th | PFN Ranking: 15th | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 57/131 | Defensive Rank: 11/131 | Points scored: 248 (31.0 PPG) | Points allowed: 138 (17.2 PAPG) | SOS: 6.86 (4/131)

14) Utah Utes

AP Poll: 12th | Coaches Poll: 12th | PFN Ranking: 14th | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 16/131 | Defensive Rank: 35/131 | Points scored: 306 (38.2 PPG) | Points allowed: 173 (21.6 PAPG) | SOS: 2.79 (36/131)

15) Penn State Nittany Lions

AP Poll: 16th | Coaches Poll: 16th | PFN Ranking: 18th | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 39/131 | Defensive Rank: 39/131 | Points scored: 265 (33.1 PPG) | Points allowed: 176 (22.0 PAPG) | SOS: 4.45 (22/131)

16) Illinois Fighting Illini

AP Poll: 14th | Coaches Poll: 13th | PFN Ranking: 13th | Record: 7-1 | Offensive Rank: 87/131 | Defensive Rank: 1/131 | Points scored: 208 (26.0 PPG) | Points allowed: 71 (8.9 PAPG) | SOS: -1.46 (79/131)

17) North Carolina Tar Heels

AP Poll: 17th | Coaches Poll: 15th | PFN Ranking: 12th | Record: 7-1 | Offensive Rank: 7/131 | Defensive Rank: 110/131 | Points scored: 334 (41.8 PPG) | Points allowed: 251 (31.4 PAPG) | SOS: -0.12 (67/131)

18) Oklahoma State Cowboys

AP Poll: 18th | Coaches Poll: 18th | PFN Ranking: 19th | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 12/131 | Defensive Rank: 108/131 | Points scored: 313 (39.1 PPG) | Points allowed: 249 (31.1 PAPG) | SOS: 5.15 (16/131)

19) Tulane Green Wave

AP Poll: 19th | Coaches Poll: 21st | PFN Ranking: 21st | Record: 7-1 | Offensive Rank: 37/131 | Defensive Rank: 14/131 | Points scored: 269 (33.6 PPG) | Points allowed: 139 (17.4 PAPG) | SOS: -0.79 (74/131)

20) Syracuse Orange

AP Poll: 22nd | Coaches Poll: 22nd | PFN Ranking: 20th | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 44/131 | Defensive Rank: 19/131 | Points scored: 261 (32.6 PPG) | Points allowed: 147 (18.4 PAPG) | SOS: 4.01 (26/131)

21) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

AP Poll: 20th | Coaches Poll: 19th | PFN Ranking: 17th | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 13/131 | Defensive Rank: 72/131 | Points scored: 311 (38.9 PPG) | Points allowed: 216 (27.0) | SOS: 1.85 (48/131)

22) North Carolina State Wolfpack

AP Poll: 21st | Coaches Poll: 20th | PFN Ranking: 23rd | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 81/131 | Defensive Rank: 13/131 | Points scored: 214 (26.8 PPG) | Points allowed: 139 (17.4 PAPG) | SOS: 3.97 (27/131)

23) Oregon State Beavers

AP Poll: 24th | Coaches Poll: N/A | PFN Ranking: 22nd | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 43/131 | Defensive Rank: 46/131 | Points scored: 261 (32.6 PPG) | Points allowed: 182 (22.8 PAPG) | SOS: 0.89 (58/131)

24) Texas Longhorns

AP Poll: N/A | Coaches Poll: N/A | PFN Ranking: N/A | Record: 5-3 | Offensive Rank: 22/131 | Defensive Rank: 28/131 | Points scored: 291 (36.4 PPG) | Points allowed: 169 (21.1 PAPG) | SOS: 7.62 (1/131)

25) UCF Golden Knights

AP Poll: 25th | Coaches Poll: 25th | PFN Ranking: 25th | Record: 6-2 | Offensive Rank: 24/131 | Defensive Rank: 16/131 | Points scored: 286 (35.8 PPG) | Points allowed: 141 (17.6 PAPG) | SOS: -0.25 (69/131)