The top three teams were No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Notre Dame and — perhaps surprisingly — one-loss, third-ranked Clemson. Undefeated Ohio State rounded out the top four, with Florida, Texas A&M and Cincinnati all landing within striking distance of the final four teams.
MORE: Week 13 bowl projections
The College Football Playoff rankings will be released each Tuesday leading up to conference championship weekend, and the final rankings will be unveiled on Dec. 20.
This season’s College Football Playoff semifinals are Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl Game and Sugar Bowl. The Playoff championship game will be Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
With that, the first set of College Football Playoff rankings: