Where the committee and sportsbooks stand on College Football Playoff rankings - ESPN

The first College Football Playoff rankings are here, and chaos already has a seat at the table. The committee dropped its opening statement, and right on cue, the sport gave us opinions, arguments and a whole lot of «are they serious?» energy.

This is when November turns into truth-telling season — where resumes sharpen, pretenders fade and contenders prove it under the brightest lights.

Let's unpack what the committee got right, where the market disagrees and who's built for the stretch run. This is when the real race begins.

All odds by ESPN BET

Ohio State at No. 1 is correct. They're the defending national champs, undefeated so far this season and nothing on the field suggests slippage. Wins over Texas, Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin and Penn State show balance and maturity, and Julian Sayin has been steady while the defense suffocates. Until someone beats them, they stay on top. Simple. They've earned it and continue to validate it every week. There's no need to overthink it.

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Indiana has every case to push for No. 1, and they look like a real contender with statement wins and blowouts everywhere else. But while the Oregon and Iowa wins were strong, they weren't dominant enough to justify a bump over the Buckeyes. It's hard to leapfrog an undefeated defending champ without undeniable separation. Indiana can be legit and still be the second-best team in the rankings.

Texas A&M at No. 3 is the right call. The Aggies have stacked real wins, road wins at Notre Dame, Arkansas and LSU, and they've done it with a complete identity. Marcel Reed has taken a real step, the run game is efficient and the defense creates negative plays