Ohio State, LSU, Alabama and Penn State are the top four in the College Football Playoff selection committee's first rankings of the season.
Next up were defending national champion Clemson, Georgia and Oregon. The 13-member committee will produce four more sets of rankings each Tuesday before the only ones that really count come out on selection Sunday, Dec. 8.
It's the first time OSU has ever topped the weekly standings. While the Buckeyes did win the inaugural CFP national championship in 2013, their highest position that year was fourth before they went on to win it all in the tournament.
This season under first-year head coach Ryan Day, Ohio State sits at 8-0, with all victories coming by at least 21 points. The team boasts three Heisman Trophy contenders, with quarterback Justin Fields and running back J.K. Dobbins leading the offense and end Chase Young dominating on defense.
The top four in the selection committee's initial rankings have never all reached the semifinals in the playoff's five-year history. Eleven of the 20 teams that started in the top four of the CFP rankings have reached the playoff, but, oddly, never the team ranked third.