There aren’t surprises in 1st CFP rankings

’Bama, Clemson, LSU, Notre Dame are top 4

Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Notre Dame are the top four teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season.

After meeting for a day and a half at a hotel outside Dallas, the 13-member CFP selection committee released the first of its five weekly top 25s before the four-team field is set for the College Football Playoff semifinals on Dec. 2.

Michigan is fifth, followed by Georgia and Oklahoma, in the rankings announced Tuesday night.

The top four teams were no surprise. The same four teams are Nos. 1-4 in the latest Associated Press college football poll, except with Notre Dame third and LSU fourth.

Next week’s rankings figure to look a lot different. Four games matching top-20 teams will be played Saturday, including Alabama at LSU.

UCF was the highest ranked team from outside the Power Five conferences at 12th. The highest ranked team from the so-called Group of Five conferences is guaranteed a spot in the New Year’s Six bowls, but the Knights, riding a 20-game winning streak, want to be included in the playoff discussion this year.

Last season they started 18th and rose to 12th by the final rankings.

Washington State was eighth, the highest-ranked Pac-12 team. Kentucky was ninth. The Wildcats host Georgia on Saturday in a game that will decide the SEC East. Ohio State was 10th.

MARYLAND: DJ Durkin is poised to return as head of a splintered Maryland football program, heading back to the sideline following multiple investigations involving the death of a player and bullying by the coaching staff.

Not everyone is happy about the University System of Maryland board of regents recommendation Tuesday that Durkin, who has been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 11, should retain his job. The decision not only opens the door for him to return to the team as soon as this week, but raises questions on and off the field.

“We believe coach Durkin has been unfairly blamed for the dysfunction in the athletic department,” said Jim Brady, chairman of the board of regents. “He has acknowledged his role in the athletic department’s shortcomings.”

Durkin was placed on administrative leave after offensive lineman Jordan McNair collapsed during practice, which spawned an investigation into the potential dangerous culture of the football program.

The attorney for McNair’s parents in August called for Durkin to be fired, and reiterated that assertion during a news conference that started a couple of hours after the board’s announcement.

Hassan Murphy, of Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, said the decision to retain Durkin was “callous and indefensible,” and could be a part of future legal actions.

McNair’s father, Marty McNair, said, “I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach and someone spit in my face.” OHIO STATE: Coach Urban Meyer reiterated lingering health issues have been causing him occasional severe headaches this season, but says he intends to remain with the Buckeyes “as long as I can.”

Meyer spoke with a small group of reporters Tuesday to try to clear up questions about his future at Ohio State and why he has seemingly looked uncomfortable on the sideline this season.

Meyer addressed the issue and speculation about his future Monday, too. The headaches are related to an arachnoid cyst in his brain that he has been dealing with for years.

Dr. Andrew Thomas, Meyer’s personal physician, released a statement, saying he has been working with Meyer to monitor and manage symptoms.

Thomas said: “This includes aggressive headaches, which have particularly flared up the past two years.”