The committee has released their first rankings of the season, with Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State and Clemson leading the pack.
For the first time in eight years, the Bruins are on the board and officially in the running to reach the biggest stage in the sport.
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season were revealed Tuesday night, and UCLA football (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) came in at No. 12. It was the first time the Bruins had been featured in the College Football Playoff Top 25 since 2014, when they made all seven iterations of the rankings.
That year, UCLA debuted at No. 22 and climbed as high as No. 8 before dropping to No. 14 in the final rankings.
The Bruins ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll on Sunday.
If UCLA were to win out, they would end the regular season 11-1 and likely play Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Ducks are responsible for the Bruins’ only loss of the year, so avenging that result would give UCLA decent shot at sneaking into the top four by the time bowl selections are made in December.
As it stands heading into Week 10, Tennessee is the committee’s No. 1 team in the country, with Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson rounding out the rest of the projected playoff field.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Oregon came in at No. 8 and USC came in at No. 9.
Utah, who the Bruins beat back on Oct. 8, are ranked No. 14, while dark horse Oregon State debuted at No. 23. This marks the first time the Beavers have appeared in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The full Week 10 College Football Playoff Rankings are listed below:
1. Tennessee (8-0)
2. Ohio State (8-0)
2. Georgia (8-0)
4. Clemson (8-0)
5. Michigan (8-0)
6. Alabama (7-1)
7. TCU (8-0)
8. Oregon (7-1)
9. USC (7-1)
10. LSU (6-2)
11. Ole Miss (8-1)
12. UCLA (7-1)
13. Kansas State (6-2)
14. Utah (6-2)
15. Penn State (6-2)
16. Illinois (7-1)
17. North Carolina (7-1)
18. Oklahoma State (6-2)
19. Tulane (7-1)
20. Syracuse (6-2)
21. Wake Forest (6-2)
22. North Carolina State (6-2)
23. Oregon State (6-2)
24. Texas (5-3)
25. UCF (6-2)
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