The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday, and the first question has three possible answers.
Who's No. 1? Three of the six remaining unbeaten teams in college football are the best candidates to take that top spot.
Georgia is No. 1 in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, and the Bulldogs are the defending national champions. The CFP committee, however, does not always agree with the polls – which have their own dilemma. Tennessee and Ohio State tied for the No. 2 spot in the AP Poll heading into Week 10. The Buckeyes are No. 2 and the Volunteers are No. 3 in the Coaches Poll.
MORE: College Football Playoff picture | Heisman Trophy race
Still, all three schools have a case for (and against) that top spot in the premiere set of rankings.
College Football Playoff rankings
| WEEK | DATE | TIME |
| 10 | Tuesday, Nov. 1 | 7 p.m. |
| 11 | Tuesday, Nov. 8 | 7 p.m. |
| 12 | Tuesday, Nov. 15 | 9 p.m. |
| 13 | Tuesday, Nov. 22 | 7 p.m. |
| 14 | Tuesday, Nov. 29 | 7 p.m. |
| FINAL | Sunday, Dec. 4 | 12 p.m. |
Who will No. 1 in first CFP rankings?
Georgia
We're No. 1!
The Bulldogs are the defending national champions and they have won 10 straight games since losing last year's SEC championship game to Alabama. Georgia ranks second in scoring defense (10.5 ppg.) and sixth in scoring offense (41.8 ppg.). Georgia has won by an average of 31 points per game – which ranks second in the FBS - and the 49-3 victory against No. 8 Oregon looks better with each week. The Bulldogs are content to wear down opponents with a rushing attack that averages 202 yards per game – the best among the three schools on this list, but Georgia can throw it too with Stetson Bennett and two freak-show tight ends in Brock Bowers (17.6 ypc.) and Darnell Washington (17.5 ypc.).
No, you're not!
Yeah, the Oregon victory is nice, but the only other team the Bulldogs have knocked off that has more than five wins is Samford, an FCS school. Bennett does not have the prolific passing statistics of Tennessee's Hendon Hooker and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, and the committee emphasizes a blank canvas each week. That means last year happened last year. Are the Bulldogs really the best team right now – a team that needed to rally from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Missouri?
MORE: Week 10 picks against the spread for Top 25 games
Ohio State
We're No. 1!
Check that "SEC Bias" at the meeting-room door. The Buckeyes have the Heisman Trophy front-runner in C.J. Stroud, and they have won their games by an FBS-best 32 points per game. The Buckeyes have won every game by double digits, and the 28-point fourth-quarter explosion at No. 16 Penn State last week was a reminder that no fourth-quarter lead is safe. The Buckeyes have the best collection of skill-position talent on offense, and the defense has improved to a national championship level under new coordinator Jim Knowles. Ohio State allows just 16.9 points per game.
No you're not!
That season-opening victory against Notre Dame was thrilling at the time, but the combined record of the teams the Buckeyes have beaten is just 34-32. The Buckeyes have averaged just 82 yards rushing the last two weeks against Iowa and Penn State, and Sean Clifford hit up the defense for 371 passing yards last week. How would that stack up against a SEC champion?
Tennessee
We're No. 1!
The Vols have defeated five ranked opponents this season, and that includes the signature victory of the season to this point in the 52-49 victory against Alabama, which was ranked No. 3 on Oct 15. Tennessee routed No. 15 LSU 40-13 and No. 19 Kentucky 44-6, and they've done it with the top-scoring offense at 49.4 points per game. Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt have formed arguably the most-prolific pass-catch duo in college football, and second-year coach Josh Heupel has Tennessee on the cusp of being ranked No. 1 for the first time since 1998. Does the committee have it in them to do what's right and do this preemptively on Tuesday night?
MORE: Tennessee makes compelling case for No. 1
No you're not!
The Vols have the worst statistical defense of the three teams; one that allows 300.8 passing yards per game. Georgia and Ohio State would shred that, right? The Alabama victory was great, but the Crimson Tide had a program-record 17 penalties for 130 yards in that game. Would Alabama still be favored in a rematch? Tennessee also needed overtime to escape in a 34-28 victory at Pitt, which is 4-4.
Who will be No. 1?
That combination of offense and defense likely will keep Georgia in the top spot, at least for this week. Tennessee has the better resume in terms of ranked opponents on the schedule, but the combined record of the Bulldogs' opponents is better.
Unbeaten FBS teams sorted by record of teams played so far.
— Bill Bender (@BillBender92) October 31, 2022
1. Clemson 37-28 (.569)
2. Georgia 36-28 (.563)
3. Tennessee 36-29 (.554)
4. TCU 34-29 (.515)
5. Ohio State 34-32 (.515)
6. Michigan 30-36 (.455)
We can see the committee putting the Vols in the No. 2 spot, and the good news is Georgia and Tennessee will settle it on the field at Sanford Stadium on Saturday in a regular-season "Game of the Century." That might leave the Buckeyes feeling slighted, but they will slide up to at least the No. 2 spot next week with a win over Northwestern in Week 10.
