Rebels Out in First CFP Poll, but Still Have Clear Path

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss still has the goals they started fall practices in August with all available after the first College Football Playoff poll Tuesday night.

Nothing will be easy, though.

Beating No. 3 Georgia on Saturday would likely launch the Rebels into the dozen teams that have a shot for the title. After the game at Vaught-Hemingway this weekend, there would be a bye week and a trap game against Florida followed by Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Just about anything can (and has) happened in that matchup.

Unbeaten Oregon is the No. 1 team in the first rankings released by the College Football Playoff selection committee Tuesday.

The Ducks were followed by Ohio State, Georgia, Miami and Texas in the top five.

Penn State, Tennessee, Indiana, BYU, Notre Dame, Alabama and Boise State round out the top 12, which would compete in the newly expanded playoff at season’s end.

Because the top four seeds must be conference champions under the new CFP format, Oregon (Big Ten), Georgia (SEC), Miami (ACC) and BYU (Big 12) would receive first-round byes if the initial rankings were used for the 12-team bracket.

The first-round games would look like this: Boise State at Ohio State, Alabama at Texas, Notre Dame at Penn State and Indiana at Tennessee.

The SEC and Big Ten each had four teams in the top 12. Undefeated BYU is the lone Big 12 program in the top 12, and unbeaten Miami is the only ACC team in the top 12 after Clemson suffered its second defeat last week, to Louisville at home.

Boise State, whose only loss was by three points at Oregon on Sept. 7, was the highest-ranked team from a Group of 5 conference.

SMU was No. 13 in the selection committee’s rankings, followed by Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Kansas State and Colorado.

Washington State, Louisville, Clemson, Missouri and unbeaten Army rounded out the top 25.