LSU debuts in Top 10 of the CFB Playoff Rankings

On Tuesday evening, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee revealed its first 2022 poll of the season.

To the surprise of some, LSU football landed in the Top 10.

LSU is currently ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll.

When the CFB Playoff rankings debuted, the Tigers checked in at No. 10 as the highest-ranked, two-loss team in college football. LSU has losses to Florida State and Tennessee, and the Volunteers debuted at No. 1 in the rankings.

On Saturday, LSU will face off against No. 6 Alabama in a 6 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN. With the latest rankings, the matchup will feature a pair of Top 10 teams.

The first CFB Playoffs Rankings

The committee used the first nine weeks of the season to rank the top contenders for the four-team playoff and those with a chance at the New Year’s Six bowls during ESPN’s Tuesday night reveal show.

The CFP Selection Committee provides a new Top 25 based on the latest results and ongoing power struggles between key storyline builders. As the season winds down, the committee looks at each data point for evenly matched teams and weighs the value of certain wins and losses.

Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson make up the new-look top-four, with Michigan and Alabama on the outside looking in. The six undefeated teams entering Week 10 are Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, TCU and Tennessee. After an exciting start to the season with plenty surprises, take a look at the initial 2022 CFP Top 25 rankings.

Week 10 CFP Rankings

1. Tennessee (8-0)

2. Ohio State (8-0)

3. Georgia (8-0)

4. Clemson (8-0)

5. Michigan (8-0)

6. Alabama (7-1)

7. TCU (8-0)

8. Oregon (7-1)

9. USC (7-1)

10. LSU (6-2)

11. Ole Miss (8-1)

12. UCLA (7-1)

13. Kansas State (6-2)

14. Utah (6-2)

15. Penn State (6-2)

16. Illinois (7-1)

17. North Carolina (7-1)

18. Oklahoma State (6-2)

19. Tulane (7-1)

20. Syracuse (6-2)

21. Wake Forest (6-2)

22. NC State (6-2)

23. Oregon State (6-2)

24. Texas (5-3)

25. UCF (6-2)

Written by On3’s James Fletcher III

LSU gears up for Top 10 matchup with Alabama

The Tigers and Tide will face off on Saturday night in a game where the winner will control its own destiny in the SEC West, which means a path to win out and land in Atlanta for December’s SEC Championship.

For LSU head coach Brian Kelly, the goal is keeping the Tigers dialed in on one thing: preparation.

“The first thing we need to do is just understand that you have to take this game and think about how you got here,” Kelly said this week. “We’ve done it by our preparation. We’ve prepared well. We have focused on playing our best when our best is needed. We can’t be distracted by this is a big game or this is Alabama. That’s not going to help us in this situation.

“What’s going to help us is playing our best when our best is needed. Our best players are going to have to play well. We’re going to have to play consistently for four quarters. We must get off to a good start because we’ve shown that we’re going to play well in the second half, but we have to play well for four quarters. We have to play consistently, one play at a time.

“All the basic tenants of a game like this is that’s why you come to LSU. It’s not pressure. It’s a privilege to play in games like this. Certainly why I came to LSU, to want to play in games like this.”