The first edition of the 2017 CFP rankings was released yesterday and there are a few shakeups to the normal lineup. Since the creation of the College Football Playoff a few years ago, Alabama has reigned supreme at the No. 1 spot. This year, however, the Georgia Bulldogs have taken over, notching an impressive 8-0 record with wins over Notre Dame, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Florida. Bama comes in at No. 2 following their undefeated record as they’ve beaten Florida State, Ole Miss, A&M and Tennessee. Notre Dame’s No. 3 ranking can be easily opposed due to their faily easy schedule featuring competitive wins over only Michigan State and USC. As the remainder of their lineup challenges Miami, Navy and Stanford, I don’t expect the Fighting Irish to stay at the top much longer. The defending national champion Clemson Tigers take the final top spot after their devastating loss to Syracuse. The Tigers’ best win on the season is against Auburn. Oklahoma and Ohio State fight for a piece of the championship at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively. Both teams feature one loss, OU to Iowa State (bless those Cyclones) and Ohio State to Oklahoma. Saquon Barkley leads the Penn State Nittany Lions to a No. 7 ranking after they nearly upset Ohio State for the second year in a row. Penn State’s top win of the season was their 42-13 victory over Michigan. TCU fills in as the second Big 12 team in the top 10 with their 7-1 record following their loss to Iowa State (again, bless those damn Cyclones). With victories over Oklahoma State and West Virginia, the Horned Frogs look poised to take the Big 12 title if the Cyclones don’t steal it first. Wisconsin and Miami close out the rankings with undefeated records, 8-0 and 7-0, respectively. Miami looks like the greater threat to move up the charts, but don’t count out the Badgers just yet.
