Alabama, Clemson, Michigan Lead College Football Playoff Rankings Ahead Of Week 10

The College Football Playoff Committee arrived at the same conclusion as nearly everyone else after nine weeks of play: The Alabama Crimson Tide is still very high.

Alabama, Clemson, Michigan Lead College Football Playoff Rankings Ahead Of Week 10

The defending national champions earned the top spot in Tuesday’s rankings, followed swiftly by Clemson, Michigan and Texas A&M.

The Aggies surpassed undefeated Washington for fourth, and Ohio State, Louisville, Wisconsin, Auburn and Nebraska round out the top 10.

Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and No. 5 Washington are all undefeated thus far at 8-0.

“Texas A&M won at Auburn and beat Arkansas at a neutral site,” said selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt, the athletics director at Texas Tech. “In the committee’s mind, Texas A&M has played a stronger schedule.”

The Aggies, Buckeyes and Cardinals are all 7-1 with five weeks remaining in the season.

Also of note, No. 23 Western Michigan was one spot ahead of Boise State in the race among teams in the Group of Five conferences for a spot in one of the major bowls.

Tuesday’s rankings are the first of six to be unveiled by the playoff committee. The top four teams in the final ranking on Dec. 4 will meet in the College Football Playoff.

The semifinals will be played at the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl on Dec. 31. The championship game will be held in Tampa, Fla. on Jan. 9.

Here is the complete Top 25 from the committee:

1. Alabama (8-0)

2. Clemson (8-0)

3. Michigan (8-0)

4. Texas A&M (7-1)

5. Washington (8-0)

6. Ohio State (7-1)

7. Louisville (7-1)

8. Wisconsin (6-2)

9. Auburn (6-2)

10. Nebraska (7-1)

11. Florida (6-1)

12. Penn State (6-2)

13. LSU (5-2)

14. Oklahoma (6-2)

15. Colorado (6-2)

16. Utah (7-2)

17. Baylor (6-1)

18. Oklahoma State (6-2)

19. Virginia Tech (6-2)

20. West Virginia (6-1)

21. North Carolina (6-2)

22. Florida State (5-3)

23. Western Michigan (8-0)

24. Boise State (7-1)

25. Washington State (6-2)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban told reporters he expects a challenge Saturday night against LSU.

“We have a lot of respect for LSU, the things that they do,” said Saban. “They are well-coached. They’ve been able to run the ball extremely effectively. They have a really good play-action pass game that goes with it. They have some really good skill guys who can make big plays. The quarterback has done a nice job for them. So this is very challenging team based on the balance they create and what they do.

It was recently revealed that Saban came close to getting the New York Giants head coaching job back in January, a job that is now taken by Ben McAdoo. 

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 11: O.J. Howard #88 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates after scoring a 53 yard touchdown in the third quarter against the Clemson Tigers during the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 11, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)