College Football Playoff rankings: Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson in top 4

Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson are the top-four teams in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, the selection committee announced Tuesday, with Michigan and Alabama sitting as the “first two teams out.” Here’s what you need to know:

Tennessee is No. 1 in the CFP rankings for the first time in program history, setting up a No. 1 vs. No. 3 showdown this Saturday when the Volunteers travel to No. 3 Georgia. The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the AP poll, while Tennessee is tied with Ohio State for the No. 2 spot.
Clemson and Michigan flip-flopped from their spots in the AP poll, which had the Wolverines at No. 4 and the Tigers at No. 5.
One-loss Alabama is ranked No. 6, ahead of undefeated TCU, which checks in at No. 7, which is the same way the AP poll has the two teams.
LSU comes in at No. 10, setting up a top-10 matchup in Death Valley this Saturday with the No. 6 Crimson Tide. The Tigers were just No. 15 in the AP poll.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Were there any surprises?

Clemson coming in at No. 4 despite almost losing to Syracuse its last time out was a pleasant surprise for fans in ACC country, as the league is coming off a disappointing weekend that saw the Orange drop their second-straight game with a loss to Notre Dame, saw Boston College post just three points in a loss to UConn, and saw a then-10th ranked Wake Forest team (in the AP poll) lose big at Louisville. — Fortuna

What does this mean for the Group of 5?

Tulane is the highest-ranked Group of 5 team, coming in at No. 19, the same ranking the Green Wave had in the AP poll this week. If the season ended today, Tulane would earn the Group of 5’s New Year’s Six bowl bid, which would likely be the Cotton Bowl. — Fortuna

How similar was the CFP’s rankings to the AP poll?

Very. The only team featured in the CFP rankings and not in the AP rankings is No. 23 Texas, which took the place of Liberty, which had the same spot in the AP poll but was unranked in the CFP poll. There were 10 teams that had the exact same ranking in both polls: No. 25 UCF, No. 19 Tulane, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 17 North Carolina, No. 13 Kansas State, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 9 USC, No. 8 Oregon, No. 7 TCU and No. 6 Alabama. — Fortuna

LSU had the biggest difference in ranking among schools ranked in both polls, as the Tigers were No. 10 in the CFP poll after being ranked No. 15 in the AP poll.

Full College Football Playoff rankings

1. Tennessee
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Clemson
5. Michigan
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Oregon
9. USC
10. LSU
11. Mississippi
12. UCLA
13. Kansas State
14. Utah
15. Penn State
16. Illinois
17. North Carolina
18. Oklahoma State
19. Tulane
20. Syracuse
21. Wake Forest
22. NC State
23. Oregon State
24. Texas
25. UCF

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(Photo: Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)