Ohio State Debuts No. 1 in First College Football Playoff Rankings

Buckeyes lead LSU, Alabama, Penn State

Ohio State's dominance through eight games earned the No. 1 spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night.

The Buckeyes, who have not played an opponent closer than 24 points, lead LSU (8-0) and Alabama (8-0), who alternate No. 1 and No. 2 in The Associated Press and Amway Coaches Polls.

OSU grabbed the top spot despite not having a win over an opponent ranked in the Top 10 at kickoff.

However, the Buckeyes' schedule is ranked No. 20 in the nation and is rated stronger than No. 2 LSU's. 

"When you watch Ohio State, they have performed at a very consistent level,"Committee chair Rob Mullens said. "They have explosive play-makers on both sides of the ball...They perform at a consistently-high level every week."

This is the first time Ohio State has ever had the No. 1 ranking at any point in the Playoff rankings.

It was No. 16 in the initial rankings in 2014 when it eventually won the Playoff, and No. 6 in 2016 when it last participated.

Ohio State's wins against AP-ranked opponents at kickoff this season came against No. 25 Michigan State and No. 13 Wisconsin. Cincinnati was unranked when it lost to OSU, 42-0. The Bearcats are No. 20 in the Playoff rankings.

LSU, which plays at Alabama on Saturday, has three Top 10 wins.

The Tigers have beaten No. 9 Texas, No. 9 Auburn and No. 7 Florida.

Alabama has not played a ranked team.

Penn State (8-0) debuted at No. 4 in the Playoff rankings on the strength of wins over No. 16 Michigan and No. 17 Iowa.

Defending national champion Clemson starts No. 5. The Tigers have a win over No. 12 Texas A&M.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day put no significance on the release of the rankings Tuesday afternoon, prior to knowing his team gained the No. 1 ranking.

"I think in this part of the season, you’re into November, crazy things can happen," Day said. "We have to continue to stay focused on the things that have got us to this point: the discipline, the toughness, taking care of the football, tackling.

"Kids are impressionable nowadays. Everybody wants instant gratification. At this point of the year the only thing that works is continuing to go back to the things that have worked.

We just can’t get bored with that. We have to continue to embrace that, understand now important it is. That’s a huge part of being tough, is being disciplined enough to do the same things week in, week out, not stray from that, start to fray as a team. That’s the focus. That’s the coaches and the leaders, everybody involved in the program, to make sure we stay locked in on that."

For the latest on Ohio State follow Sports Illustrated Buckeye Maven on Facebook or @BuckeyeMaven on Twitter.