CFP rankings broken down by conference: How many schools from each league are ranked?

The first College Football Playoff rankings dropped and, of course, different conferences are now weighing their representation. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Group of Five all have teams ranked, but not all are set up as well as others.

The first rankings don't mean everything, but they do give us a window into which conferences the committee favors. Auto bids for conference champions ensure at least one team from each major conference will be in the bracket. Still, second place teams that aren't already well-positioned could be out of luck.

So let's look at conferences have the most teams in the Top 25?

CFP rankings broken by down by conference

As expected, the SEC outpaces the rest of the conferences with eight teams, including four in projected 12-team bracket.

The ACC actually has more teams (5) than the Big Ten (4). However, The ACC only has one team (Miami) in the bracket while all four Big Ten teams (Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana) would be in.

The Big 12 matched the Big Ten, but like the ACC, they only have one bracket representative. They have three teams ranked from No. 17 to 20 (Iowa State, Kansas State and Colorado).

How many ACC teams are in the CFP rankings?

The ACC's five teams are spread across the Top 25.

• No. 4 Miami Hurricanes
• No. 13 SMU Mustangs
• No. 18 Pittsburgh Panthers
• No. 22 Louisville Cardinals
• No. 23 Clemson Tigers

Miami is the projected conference champion while SMU is just missing out on a spot in the bracket. The fact is, all five of those ranked teams have a chance to get in by winning the conference. It's still a wide open race.

How many Big Ten teams are in the CFP rankings?

The Big Ten doesn't have a lot of teams in, but the ones they have are mighty.

• No. 1 Oregon Ducks
• No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
• No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions
• No. 8 Indiana Hoosiers

The top two spots belong to Big Ten power houses while the other two have a strong chance to make it in whether they win the conference or not. All four teams have a chance to go to Indianapolis where they'd punch their ticket to the CFP with a win. Even then, Ohio State's ranking at No. 2 is a really good sign that they could lose to Indiana and still easily get in.

How many Big 12 teams are in the CFP rankings?

The Big 12 has four teams ranked, but it looks like only one of them will get in.

• No. 9 BYU Cougars
• No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones
• No. 19 Kansas State Wildcats
• No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes

BYU is currently projected as the No. 4 seed with the conference title under their belt. Iowa State, Kansas State and Colordo will all try to crash the party. Based on the placement in the opening rankings, it'll be tough for the Big 12 to get two teams in. That autobid is going to be essential.

How many SEC teams are in the CFP rankings?

• No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs
• No. 5 Texas Longhorns
• No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers
• No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide
• No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies
• No. 15 LSU Tigers
• No. 16 Ole Miss
• No. 24 Missouri Tigers

How many Group of Five and independent teams are in the CFP rankings?

Only the highest-ranked Group of Five team is guaranteed a spot in the bracket and right now it's going to Boise State. The committee actually ranked them No. 12 on merit.

Group of Five:

• No. 12 Boise State Broncos
• No. 25 Army Black Knights

Army's ranking is one of the more controversial points of the first ranking, barely making it into the Top 25. They have an upcoming game against Notre Dame to prove themselves worthy of a higher ranking.

Speaking of Notre Dame...

Independents:

• No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• No. 21 Washington State Cougars

The Fighting Irish need to win out to keep their place in the bracket but they're in a good spot to do that.

Washington State technically doesn't have a conference as a member of the defunct Pac-12 but they could make it interesting if they keep winning.