The initial set of College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN during a one-hour College Football Playoff: Top 25 show that will run weekly on Tuesdays, concluding with the selection committee's final rankings on Sunday, Dec. 3.
Rece Davis hosts the weekly special, with Kirk Herbstreit, Joey Galloway, Paul Finebaum, Booger McFarland, Jesse Palmer and David Pollack making appearances to argue the merits of the contenders ad nauseam.
Consider this your primer for the debut of the rankings.
When will the top four be announced?
ESPN claims the entire Top 25 will be revealed within the first 20 minutes of the show.
Who will top the initial batch of rankings?
Expect an one of the SEC unbeatens, Alabama or Georgia, to top the initial batch of rankings. Our money is on Georgia based on the strength of their wins, including an early season road win in South Bend.
Assuming Alabama and Georgia are in, who else cracks the top four tonight?
This is the million dollar question. The other two spots will go to unbeaten Wisconsin, Notre Dame (7-1), Clemson (7-1), Ohio State (7-1), Oklahoma (7-1), or maybe even Miami (7-0). The smart money seems to be on Notre Dame and Clemson joining Alabama and Georgia, again due to the quality of the wins they've accumulated this season.
So, should we freak out if Ohio State does not make the top four?
Absolutely not.
And why is that?
Of the 12 teams placed into the top four of the initial rankings in the last three years, only five made the College Football Playoff in that given year. Hell, no team to debut at No. 1 in the rankings has even gone on to win the championship. There's a lot of football left.
So where do we think Ohio State will land tonight?
Look for the Buckeyes to show up in the five spot.
So why even tune in?
Because college football and arguing about college football go together like peanut butter and jelly.
