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College Football Playoff Projections 2018: Official ranks loom after Week 9

By John Mitchell

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greet after the AllState Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greet after the AllState Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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All the guessing and wondering what the committee will do ends on Tuesday as the first College Football Playoff rankings are released. Who will be in the first top four?

Two top 10 teams went down in Week 9, but the current playoff picture stood pretty steady with a few teams on bye weeks and a couple of others handling their business against overmatched opponents.

Last season’s first rankings gave the college football world a surprise as consensus No. 1 Alabama was ranked second in the first poll released by the committee with the Georgia Bulldogs taking the initial top spot. Is it possible that we could see a similar surprise at the top on Tuesday, or has Alabama’s domination been so devastating that it is impossible to ignore?

Three of the initial top four teams in last season’s rankings ended up making the playoff, with Oklahoma making the playoff after starting off at No. 5. In 2015, all eventual playoff members were ranked in the initial top six.

So while a lot can still change over the next few weeks, the first College Football Playoff rankings have given us a good idea of which teams will end up getting the coveted four spots to compete for a national championship over the last couple of years.

Will that hold true this season, or will a darkhorse contender emerge over the next few weeks and jump into the playoff?

Here’s how I think the committee will have the initial top four this week:

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