**College Football Playoff Rankings Unveil New Format and Fresh Contenders**

The highly-anticipated College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee rankings are set to debut on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, coinciding with a significant day as the nation makes pivotal decisions about its future. This year's playoff introduces a revamped system: expanding from four to 12 teams, featuring five automatic bids for conference champions, and seven at-large selections.

A major change this season is that the top four seeds in the playoff won’t necessarily be the highest-ranked teams overall but will be the highest-rated conference champions. This means the CFP top 25 might show several SEC and Big Ten teams in the top spots, but they won't all be top-four seeds in the bracket. The most probable top-four seeds currently are the champions of the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12.

The fifth automatic bid likely involves a showdown between the Mountain West and American Athletic Conference, though Louisiana from the Sun Belt remains in contention. With the expanded playoff, 24 teams with two or fewer losses from power conferences and other significant football teams are vying for 11 spots. This includes eight from the SEC, five each from the ACC and Big 12, and four from the Big Ten, alongside independent Notre Dame and Pac-12's Washington State.

Among these, standouts like Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Miami, Notre Dame, and Ohio State are strong contenders. Oregon currently leads at No. 1 with a stellar record, including a significant win over Ohio State and dominant performances in their conference games.

As the rankings prepare to roll out, some contentious spots and debates will arise. Teams like Indiana, Ohio State, and Texas could grapple for the 5, 6, and 7 positions, with Indiana boasting an unbeaten record, while Ohio State and Texas each have quality wins. SMU also looks to position itself favorably against SEC and Big Ten teams.

Notre Dame, in playoff contention at 7-1 despite a loss to Northern Illinois, will also be under the microscope. The committee’s decisions on teams with notable wins and losses will be crucial.

In the Group of 5 conferences, Boise State, Army, Tulane, and Louisiana are battling for recognition, with Boise State potentially the highest-ranked among them. Notably, Army could surprise if they manage to remain undefeated.

As the nation eagerly awaits the initial CFP top 25 reveal, this first of five rankings will provide crucial insights into how the season has unfolded and what may be expected before the final decisive rankings on December 8.