The road to the 2016-17 College Football Playoff took a major step on Tuesday, as the first edition of the Playoff rankings were released live on ESPN.
To a big surprise. Texas A&M gets the nod at No. 4. The Aggies' only loss on the season is to Alabama, and they have a big win on their resume over Auburn, who is ranked No. 9 in the rankings. Still, seeing the Aggies over Washington and Ohio State is a shocker.
A big surprise might be Louisville at No. 7. The Cardinals have a 63-20 win over Florida State to hang their hat on, and their loss to Clemson was one of the best games of the year. Putting them at No. 7 with one loss doesn't speak well for them, as their isn't really a game left on their schedule that will make a statement for them.
Other surprises outside the Top 10: Penn State at 12 is... confounding. They have the big win over Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions have a really bad loss to Michigan and another loss at Pittsburgh. Putting them at No. 12? Seems high.
The full rankings:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Michigan
4. Texas A&M
5. Washington
6. Ohio State
7. Louisville
8. Wisconsin
9. Auburn
10. Nebraska
11. Florida
12. Penn State
13. LSU
14. Oklahoma
15. Colorado
16. Utah
17. Baylor
18. Oklahoma State
19. Virginia Tech
20. West Virginia
21. North Carolina
22. Florida State
23. Western Michigan
24. Boise State
25. Washington State
