CFP Rankings: Georgia Comes in at Sixth in First Poll

The initial College Football Playoff rankings have been released, and the one-loss Georgia Bulldogs have debuted at sixth in the very first poll.

The initial College Football Playoff rankings have been released, and the one-loss Georgia Bulldogs have debuted at sixth in the very first poll following their 24-17 win over the formerly sixth-ranked Florida Gators. 

Here's how the College Football Playoff rankings sit after Week 9 of college football: 

1. Ohio St. Buckeyes
2. LSU Tigers
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Penn State Nittany Lions
5. Clemson Tigers
6. Georgia Bulldogs

Look, though the first College Football Playoff polls are important because they give us an initial indication of how the committee is evaluating certain wins and losses, LSU & Bama are set to play this weekend, OSU and Penn State play each other in a few weeks, and assuming they win out Georgia will play either LSU or Bama in the SEC title game. 

So, to say things are far from settled is an understatement. Of the top-5 remaining unbeaten teams, the only team that seems to have a clear shot at going undefeated is Clemson. Therefore it will be the committee will have their hands full at the end of the season with one loss teams scattered everywhere. 

As for Georgia, it's simple, win out and you're in the playoff. This could easily be the first year that a two-loss team breaks into the playoff, but all hell would have to break loose, and that two-loss team isn't going to be Georgia. Not even if they were to lose to Auburn, make it to the SEC championship game and win by forty. 

The good news for Georgia, the only one-loss team with a tougher strength of schedule remaining according to ESPN's football power index is Oklahoma. So, it should be reassuring to Dawg fans to see Georgia above the Sooners. 

The South Carolina loss didn't eliminate Georgia, but it absolutely placed them in "win or go to the outback bowl" mode, but you already knew that.

Stay tuned here on Sports Illustrated's Bulldog Maven as we will keep you posted on all things CFP rankings.