By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
LSU was ranked No. 14 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings announced on Tuesday night, one spot higher than its No. 15 ranking in the Associated Press Poll. The Tigers’ opponent on Saturday, Alabama, was ranked No. 5.
The Tigers (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) and Crimson Tide (6-2, 4-2 SEC) kick off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in Tiger Stadium on ABC.
LSU’s next opponent after the Tide, Texas, was ranked No. 7 by the CFP Selection Committee thanks to its big wins over Ohio State, Tennessee and Ole Miss. The Volunteers, who the Tigers will visit on Nov. 21, landed at No. 13.
The Tigers do not have a win over a team ranked in the top 25, but their two losses came to No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 6 Kentucky. The Crimson Tide beat Kentucky 45-17 on the road, which is likely why the team vaulted from No. 9 in the AP Poll to one spot ahead of the Wildcats.
Undefeated Miami took the top spot in the rankings, followed by Georgia at No. 2 and Utah at No. 3. The Bulldogs are the highest-ranked of 10 SEC teams in the top 25 and five in the top 10. Missouri at No. 18, South Carolina at No. 21 and Florida at No. 24 are the other SEC schools to make the cut.
Indiana is the top team from the Big Ten followed by UCLA at No. 8, while BYU at No. 9 joins Utah from the Big 12. Just outside the top 10 are Notre Dame and Ohio State at 11 and 12.
The other teams rounding out spots 15-25 are Texas Tech, Wake Forest, Houston, Iowa, USC, Arizona, Oregon and Boise State.
The rankings are the first indication of where teams stand in the eyes of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee – frankly, the only eyes that matter. With four games left in the regular season, there is still a lot that can change among the top 25, but teams now have a clear path laid in front of them of what they need to do to punch their tickets to the 12-team playoffs.
LSU coach Lane Kiffin, however, does not put much weight into the rankings, especially just the first set. He told his team not to watch the reveal.
“It’s going to move so much between now and the end of the year, and you control a lot of it,” Kiffin said during his Monday press conference. “So, play really well and win, and you won’t have anything to worry about.”
The message must have gotten through, because quarterback Sam Leavitt echoed his coach on Tuesday.
“I really don’t care,” Leavitt said of the rankings. “At the end of the day, we got to go win games. So, hearing the rankings right now, it doesn’t matter. We could be one or 50, and if we go lose or win the next four, that ranking doesn’t even apply. So, you got to focus on the moment at hand.”
College Football Playoff Rankings
1. Miami
2. Georgia
3. Utah
4. Indiana
5. Alabama
6. Kentucky
7. Texas
8. UCLA
9. BYU
10. Ole Miss
11. Notre Dame
12. Ohio State
13. Tennessee
14. LSU
15. Texas Tech
16. Wake Forest
17. Houston
18. Mizzou
19. Iowa
20. USC
21. South Carolina
22. Arizona
23. Oregon
24. Florida
25. Boise State
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