College Football Playoff rankings are out; How many contenders are on the South Carolina football schedule

South Carolina football fans certainly don’t have to worry about the College Football Playoff this season, though that might change in the near future as the CFP field is expanding from four teams to twelve teams starting next year.

Last week, the College Football Playoff committee put out their first rankings of the year last week, and Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, and Florida State made up the top-4. In the entire top-25, four teams showed up that are on the 2023 South Carolina football schedule.

The North Carolina Tar Heels were just inside the top-25, and after beating Notre Dame last week, the Clemson Tigers could face off with UNC for a spot in the rankings in two weeks if both teams win tough games this Saturday against Georgia Tech and Duke, respectively.

Fellow Gamecock opponents Georgia (#2), Tennessee (#13), and Missouri (#14) were all obvious inclusions in the CFP rankings.

This week’s official College Football Playoff rankings were released during an hour-long show on ESPN.

There was no movement at the top of the rankings as the College Football Playoff field if the season ended today is the same 1-4 group of Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, and Florida State as last week. Seemingly, the top-11 teams or so appear to be legitimate, realistic contenders to make the College Football Playoff if everything goes their way.

The complete top-25 of the newly released CFP rankings are listed below:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Georgia Bulldogs
3. Michigan Wolverines
4. Florida State Seminoles
5. Washington Huskies
6. Oregon Ducks
7. Texas Longhorns
8. Alabama Crimson Tide
9. Ole Miss Rebels
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
11. Louisville Cardinals
12. Oregon State Beavers
13. Tennessee Volunteers
14. Missouri Tigers
15. Oklahoma State Cowboys
16. Kansas Jayhawks
17. Oklahoma Sooners
18. Utah Utes
19. LSU Tigers
20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
21. Arizona Wildcats
22. Iowa Hawkeyes
23. Tulane Green Wave
24. North Carolina Tar Heels
25. Kansas State Wildcats

There will continue to be movement in the rankings as teams win and lose (especially when they play against each other), and college football fans already can’t wait for Saturday to see what will happen next in what seems to be one of the most wide-open seasons in recent memory.