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The Clemson Tigers were ranked atop the first College Football Playoff Top 25 of the season, revealed tonight. Behind them at #2 were the LSU Tigers, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Obviously, these rankings will be in major flux as the season progresses and as each team plays out the rest of their schedule. Of note to the South Carolina Gamecocks: Clemson, who they face on November 28, and the Florida Gators (ranked #10 in the top 25), who they take on a week from Saturday. Also of note - Memphis at #13 and Houston at #25, teams that are led by leading head coaching candidates Justin Fuente and Tom Herman, respectively.
The committee will reconvene four more times and release rankings on November 10, 17 and 24 and December 1. They will meet one last time after the conference championships conclude on December 5 in preparation for their final rankings on December 6 to determine who will make the playoffs and the New Year's Six bowls.
The official rankings are below. (Where did our assistant manager rank the teams on Sunday? Find out here. Hint: he didn't have Alabama in the Top 4.)
| 1. Clemson Tigers | 8-0 |
| 2. LSU Tigers | 7-0 |
| 3. Ohio State Buckeyes | 8-0 |
| 4. Alabama Crimson Tide | 7-1 |
| 5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 7-1 |
| 6. Baylor Bears | 7-0 |
| 7. Michigan State Spartans | 8-0 |
| 8. TCU Horned Frogs | 8-0 |
| 9. Iowa Hawkeyes | 8-0 |
| 10. Florida Gators | 7-1 |
| 11. Stanford Cardinal | 7-1 |
| 12. Utah Utes | 7-1 |
| 13. Memphis Tigers | 8-0 |
| 14. Oklahoma State Cowboys | 8-0 |
| 15. Oklahoma Sooners | 7-1 |
| 16. Florida State Seminoles | 7-1 |
| 17. Michigan Wolverines | 6-2 |
| 18. Ole Miss Rebels | 7-2 |
| 19. Texas A&M Aggies | 6-2 |
| 20. Mississippi State Bulldogs | 6-2 |
| 21. Northwestern Huskies | 6-2 |
| 22. Temple Owls | 7-1 |
| 23. UCLA Bruins | 6-2 |
| 24. Toledo Rockets | 7-0 |
| 25. Houston Cougars | 8-0 |