First 12-team College Football Playoff rankings announced; Oregon holds top spot

Seeds 1-4 will be automatic bids ranked by conference champions (or, for now, leaders), and they will receive first-round byes. The next four teams, via at-large bids, will host playoff games bracket style (5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9).

The committee still ranks the teams in order, but the bracket seeding may not reflect the actual rankings.

Clear? Awesome. Here is your very first 12-team bracket from the College Football Playoff committee:

Their lone loss of the season was their instant classic in Tuscaloosa, but their schedule is still daunting. This weekend, they have a date on the road with TK Ole Miss, and they follow that up with Tennessee. Texas A&M follows behind in the conference at 7-2 and 5-1 in-conference.

It should be noted that they are actually the third-ranked team in the country; they have the No. 2 seed because the current second-ranked team in the country, Ohio State, doesn't lead the Big Ten.

The Hurricanes' high-powered offense just put up 53 points, and they remain the only undefeated team in the conference. Miami is the fourth-ranked team in the country, but the automatic bid system gives them the third seed.

Like Miami, the Cougars are the only undefeated team in the new-look Big 12. And like the 'Canes, the system has their seed higher than their actual ranking in the country; the committee has them at No. 9 overall.

5. Ohio State (7-1, 4-1; the committee ranks them No. 2, but since they do not lead their conference, they are the fifth seed in the bracket).

6. Texas (7-1, 3-1; ranked fifth in the country)

7. Penn State (7-1, 4-1; ranked sixth)

8. Tennessee (7-1, 4-1; ranked seventh)

9. Indiana (9-0, 6-0; ranked eighth)

10. Notre Dame (7-1)

11. Alabama (6-2, 3-2)

12. Boise State (7-1, 4-0)

SMU, Texas A&M and LSU round out the next three teams, respectively. No. 16 Ole Miss will likely find its way into the top 12 with a win over Georgia this weekend.

Don't count out Deion Sanders' Colorado squad. They are ranked No. 20 with a relatively favorable schedule in the home stretch.

The first round of the playoffs begins on Dec. 20 with the national championship being played one month later.