Defending national champion Alabama earned the No. 1 spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.
The Crimson Tide have been the overwhelming favorite throughout the season, earning the No 1 spot in both the Associated Press and coaches' top 25 polls.
Clemson came in at No. 2, followed by another SEC team in LSU at No. 3 and Notre Dame at No. 4.
The top four teams qualify for a spot in the two semifinal games on Dec. 29.
This is the 26th time an Alabama team has made an appearance in rankings since the formation of the playoff system in 2014. Ohio State and Clemson also are tied with the Crimson Tide for the most appearances in the rankings.
Michigan came in at No. 5, with Georgia, Oklahoma, Washington State, Kentucky and Ohio State rounding out the top 10.
The 13-members of the selection committee meets weekly to rank the top 25 teams.
This is the first of six weekly rankings released by the selection committee, with final rankings to be revealed on Dec. 2 when the four semifinal teams will be announced along with teams participating in the remainder of the New Year's Six bowl games.
The two semifinals, which rotate yearly, will take place in Miami at the Orange Bowl and in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 29.
The remaining New Year's Six games will be played at the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls.
Undefeated UCF, which was ranked No. 12, was the top team from the Group of 5 conferences. The highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion earns a spot in one of the New Year's Six Access Bowls.
The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is slated for Monday, Jan. 7, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The selection committee is composed of Rob Mullens (chairman), Frank Beamer, Paola Boivin, Jeff Bower, Joe Castiglione, Herb Deromedi, Ken Hatfield, Chris Howard, Bobby Johnson, Ronnie Lott, Gene Smith, Todd Stansbury and Scott Stricklin.
