The first College Football Playoff rankings are out. Here’s the biggest takeaways and projections

The chaos has arrived. We’ve got our first look at the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday.

And while there are some surprises, it’s not far off from the projection that I had put together earlier in the day. Here is the College Football Playoff Ranking with reactions and New Year’s Six Bowl Projections.

CFP Rankings (10/30/18)

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. LSU

4. Notre Dame

5. Michigan

6. Georgia

7. Oklahoma

8. Washington State

9. Kentucky

10. Ohio State

11. Florida

12. Central Florida

13. West Virginia

14. Penn State

15. Utah

16. Iowa

17. Texas

18. Mississippi State

19. Syracuse

20. Texas A&M

21. NC State

22. Boston College

23. Fresno state

24. Iowa State

25. Virginia

Biggest surprises

The first thing has to be Washington out of the first CFP rankings and Utah as the second Pac-12 school in the rankings. Also, I was surprised to see the strong amount of ACC schools throughout the rankings. One thing that might have caught some people off guard was Iowa State; but don’t be surprised, despite the 4-3 record. Really good wins against Oklahoma State and West Virginia is sign of a team trending up.

What does this mean for Washington and Washington State?

If you’re a Cougar fan, you’re in a great mood. Coming in at No. 8 in the rankings is pretty good and with teams ahead of them being tested, a win this weekend pushes them closer to the esteemed top six. If you’re a Huskies fan, you’re kicking yourself for that loss at Cal this past week, a win vs. the Golden Bears probably keeps you in the rankings and maybe even ahead of Utah. Now, it is truly a run the table or no New Year’s Six plan. Anything less and it’s hello Holiday Bowl.

Why is Saturday important?

Saturday is essentially a pair of SEC semifinals with Georgia traveling to Kentucky and LSU facing Alabama. The winners of those games will be in your SEC title game, more than likely will open up a few spots in “at-large” sections of the bowls. Out west, Washington State holds the lone Pac-12 News Year’s Six spot but with a loss, Utah would slide into Pasadena.

CFP New Year’s Six Bowl Projections

Now that ESPN has given their first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, time for me to give projections as to what the playoff and New Year’s Six will look like.

Peach Bowl-Atlanta, GA (Dec. 29th) (At-Large vs. At-Large)

Central Florida vs. Kentucky

Fiesta Bowl-Glendale, AZ (Jan. 1st) (At-Large vs. At-Large)

Ohio State vs. West Virginia

Rose Bowl Game-Pasadena (Jan. 1st) (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)

(Big Ten)-Michigan vs. (Pac-12)-Washington State

Sugar Bowl-New Orleans, LA (Jan. 1st) (Big 12 vs. SEC)

(Big-12)-Oklahoma vs. (SEC)-Georgia

College Football Playoff Semifinals

Orange Bowl-Miami, FL (Dec. 29th) (No. 1 vs. No. 4)

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame

Cotton Bowl-Arlington, TX (Dec. 29th) (No. 2 vs. No. 3)

No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3. LSU

College Football Playoff National Title Game

Levi’s Stadium-Santa Clara, CA (Jan. 7th)

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Clemson

This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 4:59 PM.