Michigan No. 5 in first College Football Playoff rankings

Michigan opened at No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, released Tuesday night.

Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson were the top four teams, four days before the Volunteers and Bulldogs square off on the field.

The Wolverines are 8-0 (5-0 Big Ten), and ranked No. 4 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.

Alabama was No. 6 in the CFP rankings, followed by unbeaten TCU.

Tennessee is No. 1 in the CFP rankings for the first time, starting ahead of a group of teams that have become regulars at the top of the selection committee’s top 25. The Volunteers have already beaten the Crimson Tide and LSU, which was ranked 10th.

The committee began its weekly in-person meetings at hotel in Grapevine, Texas, on Monday and revealed the first of six weekly rankings.

The final rankings that set the CFP field of four are set for Dec. 4. The 13-person panel is led by a first-time chairman Boo Corrigan, the athletic director of North Carolina State.

Only one team that has been No. 1 in the committee’s initial rankings has not made the playoff, but only about half the teams in first top four managed to finish there.

Michigan is at Rutgers (4-4, 1-4) on Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed.

This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.