Alabama tops first College Football Playoff rankings, but Washington slips to No. 5

Hours before the first College Football Playoff ranking was announced on Tuesday afternoon, Washington Coach Chris Petersen was asked how his players might react.

Petersen insisted they wouldn’t put too much stock in a poll that comes out at mid-season.

They’d better not.

The CFP selection committee put Alabama, Clemson and Michigan in the top three spots, as expected, but placed a one-loss Texas A&M team at No. 4 over undefeated Washington.

“The margins are razor-thin,” committee member Kirby Hocutt said on ESPN, explaining the Aggies’ higher strength of schedule was a factor.

That was the only real shocker in a Top 10 that included, in order: Ohio State, Louisville, Wisconsin, Auburn and Nebraska.

Some might have expected Louisville to rank a spot or two higher, but the Cardinals apparently suffered from their close win over Virginia over the weekend.

As for Washington, Petersen said his team understands the big picture.

“They get it, how much football is left to be played,” he said.

david.wharton@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesWharton