Alabama is No. 2, which qualifies as something of a surprise since the Crimson Tide lost earlier in the season to Texas A&M.
Unbeaten Michigan State is No. 3 after a rousing come-from-behind win over Michigan, which showed up at No. 7 in the initial rankings.
Oregon — a 35-28 winner at Ohio State on Sept. 11 — is fourth despite having lost to Stanford.
The committee is set to rank teams five more times, though only the last one matters on Dec. 5.
The semifinals are to be played on New Year’s Eve this year with the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl playing host.
The championship game will be in Indianapolis on Jan. 10.
This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Friday, December 31, 2021, at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and the Capital One Orange Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Cincinnati’s ranking is the highest in school history, one spot higher than they topped out last year when they went undefeated but were left out of the final four.
Ohio State was ranked No. 4 in the first rankings last year and ended up in the final four. The Buckeyes beat Clemson in a semifinal then lost to Alabama in the championship game.
Last season was the first time in seven years all four teams in the first four were also in the final four.
Ohio State has a win and a loss against ranked teams, having opened the season with a 14-point win at Minnesota before losing at home to the Ducks.
Cincinnati won its only game against a team currently ranked, downing No. 10 Notre Dame 24-13 exactly a month ago.
While the Bearcats are not likely to face another ranked team, Ohio State is set to play Michigan State and Michigan before the end of the month and could get the Gophers again in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 4.
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