The West Virginia Mountaineers check in at No. 13 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2018 season, and that seems about right — I think.

If Mountaineer fans have any beef with this list, that’s OK too. Florida is ranked two spots higher than West Virginia despite having two losses compared to just one for WVU. UCF is probably (no, definitely) too high.

Let’s take a look at the committee’s first top 25:

1. Alabama (8-0)
2. Clemson (8-0)
3. LSU (7-1)
4. Notre Dame (8-0)
5. Michigan  (7-1)
6. Georgia  (7-1)
7. Oklahoma  (7-1)
8. Washington State (7-1)
9. Kentucky (7-1)
10. Ohio State  (7-1)
11. Florida (6-2)
12. Central Florida (7-0)
13. West Virginia (6-1) 
14. Penn State (6-2)
15. Utah (6-2)
16. Iowa (6-2
17. Texas (6-2)
18. Mississippi State (5-3)
19. Syracuse (6-2)
20. Texas A&M (5-3)
21. North Carolina State (5-2)
22. Boston College (6-2)
23. Fresno State (7-1)
24. Iowa State (4-3)
25. Virginia (6-2)

As far as WVU is concerned, being at No. 13 keeps you in the game for now. There is a path to a CFP spot, but it will probably require some help in the form of losses from teams ranked above West Virginia. The Big 12 in general might need some help to get in, but Oklahoma and WVU are the only schools still in the mix after Texas took on a second loss. If the Mountaineers can get past the Longhorns this weekend in Austin, it sets up a possible November to remember. WVU would likely be favored the following two weeks against TCU and (maybe) Oklahoma State, and with wins in those games it would set up a very interesting scenario.

If Oklahoma can get to the final week of the regular season without another loss and WVU does the same, the Mountaineers and Sooners would square off on Black Friday in Morgantown then again the following week for the Big 12 title. Consecutive wins against Oklahoma and a conference title could give the CFP committee reason to slot the Mountaineers in the top four, but as I mentioned some teams currently ahead of WVU are going to have to lose some games. The schedule will sort some of that out, with a handful of games between those teams remaining.

A lot of things need to happen between now and December for West Virginia to sniff the final four of the CFP, but this first batch of rankings, if nothing else, at least leaves the door slightly cracked. Now it’s up to the Mountaineers to kick it in or be relegated to a lesser party around the New Year.