Ohio State retained the No. 1 position in the second College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday by the selection committee. Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia rounded out the top five in unchanged order from the initial rankings.
The top 12 included Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma and BYU. With five conference champions guaranteed playoff spots, No. 24 South Florida would replace BYU as the 12th seed as the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion.
The top four teams would receive first-round byes under the current rankings. Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama would advance directly to the quarterfinals.
First-round matchups would feature South Florida at Georgia, Miami at Texas Tech, Texas at Ole Miss, and Notre Dame at Oregon. The games are scheduled for Dec. 19-20 at higher-seeded teams\' home stadiums.
The selection committee kept unbeaten Indiana at No. 2 despite a narrow escape against Penn State. The Hoosiers won 27-24 on Fernando Mendoza\'s 7-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. with 36 seconds remaining.
\"It was one of our longer discussions in our meetings,\" CFP committee chair Mack Rhoades said on ESPN\'s rankings show Tuesday night regarding the choice between the Hoosiers and Aggies at No. 2. \"Indiana, we gave them the edge defensively, and certainly, offensively, as well. You think about Indiana\'s body of work. ... Indiana found a way to find a way.\"
Texas A&M remained at No. 3 after defeating Missouri 38-17 on the road. The Aggies also own a 41-40 road victory at Notre Dame earlier this season.
The SEC led all conferences with six teams in the top 12, followed by the Big Ten with three and the Big 12 with two. Miami led ACC teams at No. 15, while South Florida was the only Group of 5 representative in the top 25.
Texas Tech jumped two spots after a 29-7 victory over BYU. The Cougars dropped five positions after their first loss.
Complete CFP Rankings:
1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Texas Tech
7. Ole Miss
8. Oregon
9. Notre Dame
10. Texas
11. Oklahoma
12. BYU
13. Utah
14. Vanderbilt
15. Miami
16. Georgia Tech
17. USC
18. Michigan
19. Virginia
20. Louisville
21. Iowa
22. Pittsburgh
23. Tennessee
24. South Florida
25. Cincinnati