College Football Playoff Rankings Explained

With the first college football playoff rankings of the 2019-20 season set to be announced on Tuesday night, here's exactly how it works.

The rankings are set to be announced at 9 p.m. on ESPN. With that being said, the top-4 is pretty much set in stone at this point in the season. Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama and LSU are clearly the top teams in the country at this juncture, with the Crimson Tide and Tigers set to face off next Saturday, which should clear things up a bit.

The CFP committee, which is responsible for making some very difficult choices come the end of the season, is made up of 13 members, primarily current or former athletic directors. The full list can be found here. The chair of the committee is Oregon AD Rob Mullens.

At the end of the conference championship season, the committee chooses the four best teams in college football, which face off in two national semifinal games. The committee takes strength of schedule, conference and even injury status into account.

Surely, fans will be angry with the results one way or another. This committee is tasked with weathering the storm, and being prepared to answer for their choices. It's much easier said than done.