STARKVILLE – An incredible season of firsts continues for Mississippi State’s football program.
The latest came Tuesday night, when the College Football Playoff Committee released its initial Top 25 rankings. Sitting on top of the committee’s inaugural rankings, much like it has I the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, was Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs, who earned their first-ever No. 1 ranking in program history three weeks ago, continued to build on that momentum with the release of the College Football Playoff Rankings, the first of eight weekly installments before the final ranking, to be released on Dec. 7, reveals the four teams that will take part in the first College Football Playoff.
On Tuesday’s initial list, MSU, at 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Southeastern Conference play, was joined in the top four by defending national champion Florida State and a pair of SEC rivals. Florida State, which has won 23 straight games, was ranked No. 2, followed by No. 3 Auburn and No. 4 Ole Miss, which were deemed as the top two one-loss teams in the country.
Auburn, at 6-1, is perfect outside of a 38-23 loss at MSU while Ole Miss fell at No. 19 LSU over the weekend.
In MSU’s Seal Football Complex Tuesday night, word spread quickly of MSU’s stranglehold on the top spot.
“It’s something you can never take away from this program,” said MSU quarterback Dak Prescott. ” For the first-ever ranking, with us being the first team to be No. 1, it’s a great accomplishment for the university.”
The initial College Football Playoff Top 25 included six SEC teams, including three of the top four. Alabama, 7-1, checked in at No. 6 while Georgia ranked No. 11 and LSU No. 19.
“It’s great,” said freshman wide receiver Gabe Myles. “It’s incredible to see Mississippi State as the No. 1 team, and it’s even better to be a part of this team.”
Among non-SEC teams, No. 5 Oregon topped the list, followed by TCU at No. 7, Michigan State at No. 8, Kansas State at No. 9 and Notre Dame at No. 10.
Georgia is next at No. 11, followed by Arizona, Baylor, Arizona State and Nebraska. Ohio State, which checks in at 6-1, is No. 16, followed by Utah, Oklahoma, LSU and West Virginia. The bottom five of the ranking includes No. 21 Clemson followed by UCLA, East Carolina, Duke and Louisville.
The College Football Playoff rankings will be announced every Tuesday for the next six weeks. It leads to the unveiling of the semifinal pairings and bowl assignments on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 11:45 a.m. CT live on ESPN. The rankings and pairings are formed by the 12-member College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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