The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has spoken, and the first top 25 rankings look awfully similar to our recent season-ending projection that includes four teams eac

The College Football Playoff effectively begins Saturday night in Death Valley. Alabama (6-2, 3-2 in SEC) travels to Baton Rouge to face LSU (6-2, 3-1) with, in all likelihood, a CFP playoff berth at stake.

Alabama was alsoranked No. 11 in both the AP and Coaches polls this week. While this is the first year of the expanded playoff, the CFP has existed since 2014 with Alabama leading all teams with eight appearances and three national titles in the four-team format.