First College Football PlayoffThe rankings have dropped and of course different conferences are now evaluating their representation. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Group of Five all have ranked teams, but not all of them are as well established as the others.

First ranking doesn’t mean everythingbut they give us a window into the committee’s preferred conferences. Automatic bids for conference champions ensure that at least one team from each major conference is in the bracket. However, the second-place teams that are not well positioned may not be lucky.

So let’s look at the conferences with the most teams in the Top 25.

As expected, the SEC outpaced the rest of the conferences with eight teams, four of which were in the projected 12-team bracket.

The ACC actually has more teams (5) than the Big Ten (4). However, the ACC only has one team (Miami) in the bracket, while all four Big Ten teams (Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana) will be featured.

The Big 12 is paired with the Big Ten, but like the ACC, they only have one group of representatives. They have three teams ranked 17th through 20th (Iowa State, Kansas State and Colorado).

The ACC’s five teams are spread throughout the Top 25.

Miami is the projected champion of the conference, while SMU misses out on a spot in the bracket. The reality is that all five ranked teams have a chance to qualify by winning the conference. This is still a very open race.

The Big Ten doesn’t have many teams, but the teams they do have are strong.

While the top two spots belong to the Big Ten powerhouse, the other two have a good chance of success whether they win the conference or not. All four teams have a chance to go to Indianapolis and earn their ticket to the CFP with a win. Even then, Ohio State being the No. 2 seed is a really good sign that they could easily get in even if they lose to Indiana.

There are four teams in the Big 12, but it appears only one will participate.

BYU is currently expected to be the 4th seed under the conference title. Iowa State, Kansas State and Colorado will try to crash the party. Judging by the opening seedings, it will be difficult for the Big 12 to get two teams in. This automatic bidding will be very important.

Only the highest-seeded Group of Five team is guaranteed a spot, and the team currently heads to Boise State. The committee actually ranked them 12th in terms of merit.

Group of Five:

Army’s ranking is one of the most controversial spots in the early rankings, barely cracking the Top 25. They have an upcoming game against Notre Dame to prove they are worthy of a higher ranking.

Speaking of Notre Dame…

Independents:

The Fighting Irish need to win to get into the group, but they are in a good spot to do so.

Washington State technically doesn’t have a conference as a member of the defunct Pac-12, but they could make this interesting if they keep winning.