Penn State was ranked sixth Tuesday night in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season and projected to play Notre Dame at home in the first round.
The Nittany Lions (7-1) were ranked behind No. 1 Oregon (9-0), Ohio State (7-1), Georgia (7-1), Miami (9-0) and Texas (7-1). They’re coming off a 20-13 home loss to the Buckeyes.
“It was a game that went back and forth and a game that obviously could have gone the other way,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, chairman of the CFP selection committee. “They have wins over Illinois, Southern Cal in overtime and a season-opening win at West Virginia, which is difficult. We looked at their body of work.”
Tennessee (7-1) was seventh, followed by Indiana (9-0), BYU (8-0), Notre Dame (7-1), Alabama (6-2) and Boise State (7-1).
The top four conference champions will be the top four seeded teams and will receive first-round byes no matter what their rankings are.
Penn State would be seeded seventh because BYU would be seeded fourth and draw a bye as the projected champion of the Big 12. The Lions would face Notre Dame Dec. 20 or 21 at Beaver Stadium.
The other projected first-round matchups with seeds at campus sites are No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State, No. 11 Alabama at No. 6 Texas and No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Tennessee.
Oregon would be seeded first and would receive a first-round bye along with No. 2 seed Georgia, No. 3 seed Miami and BYU, all projected to be champions of their respective conferences.
The quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 31 (Fiesta Bowl) and Jan. 1 (Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowl). The semifinals are scheduled for Jan. 9 (Orange Bowl) and Jan. 10 (Cotton Bowl).
The CFP national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
SMU was ranked 13th, followed by Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi, Iowa State, Pitt, Kansas State and Colorado at No. 20. Washington State was 21st, followed by Louisville, Clemson, Missouri and Army.
