The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season made one thing clear Tuesday night: the SEC is still sitting in the middle of the bracket conversation.
Georgia landed at No. 2 in the CFP selection committee’s opening top 25, and the conference ended up with five teams projected into the 12-team field if the season had stopped there. The SEC also packed nine teams into the committee’s top 25, a reminder of just how crowded the league’s playoff race has become.
That depth showed up in the bracket projection, too. The SEC would have owned 42% of the seeds in the 12-team field based on Tuesday’s rankings.
The committee’s first reveal also offered a strong message about two-loss teams. Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas all made the projected playoff field despite having two defeats, a development that matters in a league where the standings are jammed with teams carrying that same record.
Texas, in particular, has built a resume that gives it real staying power. The Longhorns beat No.
10 Ohio State at home in Week 2, won at No. 16 Tennessee in Week 8 and handled No.
12 Ole Miss at home. They’ll get another chance to strengthen that case when they face No.
15 LSU on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Here’s the full CFP top 25 released Tuesday after Week 9:
Miami (8-0)
Georgia (7-1)
Utah (8-0)
Indiana (8-1)
Alabama (6-2)
Kentucky (7-1)
Texas (6-2)
UCLA (8-0)
BYU (7-1)
Ole Miss (6-2)
Notre Dame (7-1)
Ohio State (6-2)
Tennessee (6-2)
LSU (6-2)
Texas Tech (7-1)
Wake Forest (7-1)
Houston (6-2)
Missouri (6-2)
Iowa (6-2)
Southern Cal (7-2)
South Carolina (5-3)
Arizona (6-2)
Oregon (5-3)
Florida (5-3)
Boise State (7-1)
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