We’re just days removed from the release of the first ever College Football Playoff Top 25, giving us our first insight into the Selection Committee’s thought process and criteria for picking this year’s playoff teams.

Some teams were thrilled with their ranking; others not so much. Ole Miss lost a heartbreaker in Death Valley last week, but got a nice pick-me-up when it was announced the Rebels were one of the CFP’s Top 4 teams in the inaugural poll. Alabama, meanwhile, took down arch-rival Tennessee in Knoxville but was then knocked down a peg in discovering it was No. 6 in the CFP Poll.

Uncle Mo watched all the games, read all the polls and did all his homework to come up with these rankings, and he feels pretty good about them. Remember, these are not power rankings, they’re momentum rankings, so keep that in mind when reading through the list.

There’s plenty of shakeup from last week’s rankings, so let’s jump right in:

1. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are officially the SEC’s last remaining unbeaten team after topping a feisty Kentucky squad 45-31 in Lexington last weekend. Mississippi State is now 7-0 on the year, and just like the Associated Press and Coaches’ Polls, the CFP Selection Committee named MSU its No. 1 team in its first ever rankings. The Bulldogs are in the driver’s seat to win the SEC West and earn a playoff spot, and they’re the only team left in the conference with margin for error as the rest of the West’s contenders desperately aim to avoid a second loss.

2. Auburn: The Tigers won a shootout over South Carolina on the Plains, and three days later found out they, too, were one of three SEC teams to crack the CFP’s Top 4. Auburn rushed for nearly 400 yards against the Gamecocks, flexing their muscles in a 42-point showing on offense, and now turn the page to a potential elimination game Saturday against Ole Miss in Oxford. The Tigers appear to be clicking on all cylinders, and after surviving a scare from Steve Spurrier and South Carolina they’ll be confident heading into this weekend’s showdown.

T3. Alabama: The Crimson Tide marched in to Neyland Stadium and ran up a 27-0 lead on Tennessee before eventually holding on to win 34-20. Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin got the last laugh against his former team and its bitter fan base, and Amari Cooper had another career night as he continues to surge up Heisman watch lists everywhere. The Tide’s momentum was slowed just a touch when it discovered it did not make the Top 4 in the first CFP rankings, but Alabama still has plenty of momentum heading into this week’s bye, especially knowing one of the teams ahead of them in the rankings (Auburn or Ole Miss) is certain to lose this weekend.

T3. Ole Miss: The Rebels failed to execute in critical late-game situations, dropping their first game of the year on the road against LSU. The loss left a sour taste in the Rebels’ mouths, but their spirits were lifted when they found out they’d reached the Top 4 of the CFP Poll Tuesday. Ole Miss may not finish the season undefeated, but it still controls its own destiny to reach the playoffs by season’s end, which is all a team can ask for. Ole Miss still has plenty of momentum at its back, and if it tops Auburn on Saturday it will be smooth sailing until the Egg Bowl Nov. 29.

5. LSU: The Bayou Bengals recorded one of the best wins all year in the SEC when they took down Ole Miss under the Death Valley lights Saturday night. With two losses, LSU still needs a miracle to win the West or earn a playoff spot, even though those two losses both came against top 3 teams (Mississippi State and Auburn). However, that doesn’t mean the Tigers have nothing to play for, as evidenced by their dramatic win last weekend. LSU is peaking at the right time, and no one in the SEC wants to play them this November.

6. Georgia: Georgia is the fifth and final playoff contender in the SEC, coming in at No. 11 in the CFP Poll with just its one loss to South Carolina. The loss to the Gamecocks is among the worst loss of any one-loss team in the power conferences, but Georgia has been on fire as of late and discovered Wednesday it would have Todd Gurley back for its game against Auburn on Nov. 15, as well as the SEC Championship Game on Dec 6. The Dawgs were off last weekend, but they still picked up plenty of momentum between the Gurley news and the CFP rankings. An upcoming matchup against woeful Florida should help continue that momentum this weekend in Jacksonville.

7. Kentucky: Despite losing their last time out against Mississippi State, the Wildcats have more momentum than most losing teams normally do thanks to a promising showing against the nation’s No. 1 team. Expectations were low in Lexington last weekend, but Kentucky stunned the college football world by pushing MSU to the brink, staying within seven points on the scoreboard late into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Patrick Towles set new career highs for passing and rushing in a single game, and now the Cats turn their focus to a much more beatable Missouri team this weekend. Kentucky is technically still alive in the SEC East, but a road win Saturday to clinch bowl eligibility would send its momentum through the roof.

8. Arkansas: The Razorbacks were able to regroup in an easy non-conference win over UAB last weekend in Fayetteville, pulling their record to an even 4-4 on the year. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, all four of those wins came in non-conference games, of which they have none left. Of their four remaining games against SEC teams, three of them are ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Arkansas may be coming off a win, but it may also be their last win of the year, making it tough to gauge their momentum at this juncture of the season.

9. Missouri: The Tigers defeated Vanderbilt to improve to 6-2 on the season, but the win was as ugly as they come. Mizzou only topped Vandy by 10 points in Columbia, which is even less impressive when considering the Commodores started freshman Johnny McCrary for the first time under center in the loss. The Tigers rank 13th out of 14 SEC teams in total offense, and they only threw for 141 yards against the Dores in a lackluster performance. The Tigers are hanging by a thread at 6-2 on the season, and they may have less momentum than any other two-loss team in the country at this point in the season.

10. South Carolina: The Gamecocks gave Auburn everything they had in a seven-point loss in Jordan-Hare Stadium, and it might have been South Carolina’s second-best performance of the year behind only its upset win over Georgia in September. Dylan Thompson and the Gamecocks offense scored 35 points on a tough Auburn defense, putting forth one of the guttiest performances of the year in the SEC. Unfortunately for South Carolina, it still has the SEC’s worst defense, which allowed Auburn to score on six straight possessions in the loss. The Gamecocks have to feel good about the way they played against a tough Auburn team but they also have to be feeling frustrated they couldn’t come away with a signature road win.

11. Tennessee: Tennessee is still winless in the SEC, and frustrations over the lack of success in the conference were only compounded by a loss to Lane Kiffin and arch-rival Alabama at home last weekend. The Vols gave Alabama a test, outscoring the Tide 20-7 after falling behind 27-0 early, but it wasn’t enough to break through with the first signature victory of the Butch Jones era. It appears the Vols have turned to Josh Dobbs to quarterback them the rest of the season, beginning his tenure as the face of the offense. The upside and athleticism Dobbs brings to the offense is worth a few momentum points, but Tennessee needs to translate that momentum into a couple conference wins before the end of the season to make the switch under center worthwhile.

12. Texas A&M: No one was happier to be on a bye last week than Texas A&M, who needed two weeks to forget about a 59-0 romp at the hands of Alabama its last time out. The Aggies are no longer title contenders and are instead trying to finish the year on a high note and reach an above-average bowl game to make something out of nothing in 2014. They reopened their quarterback competition this week, and head coach Kevin Sumlin repeatedly told the media every position was readdressed during the bye week. The Aggies can salvage their season or they can let the bottom fall out on their 2014 campaign. We won’t know which is the case until Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Monore, but getting two weeks of rest and a cupcake non-conference game to regroup is never a bad thing. Considering the circumstances, things could be worse for A&M.

13. Vanderbilt: The Commodores fell to 2-6 with yet another SEC loss, this time on the road to Missouri, but for the first time in SEC play they showed promise against an above-500 team. Vandy started freshman Johnny McCrary at quarterback and the rookie looked ready for the opportunity in completing 19 of 32 passes including two touchdowns and just one turnover. If McCrary can bring consistency to the quarterback position, Vandy could have a bright future in front of it under Derek Mason. The Dores are still limited in what they can accomplish this season, but for the first time we’re seeing evidence of Vandy building something promising after James Franklin’s departure.

14. Florida: Remember when I said no one was happier to be on a bye last week than Texas A&M? I lied. What I meant to say was no one was happier to have the week off than the Florida Gators, who were humiliated on Homecoming night by Missouri two weeks ago. Will Muschamp is essentially a lame duck coach, and Florida is finally starting freshman quarterback Treon Harris, although it might be too late to salvage the Gators season. Florida did pick up some momentum last week as it rested and regrouped from its worst showing of the year, and it does have some promise in the form of Harris as he takes over a faltering offense, but the Gators are likely to be pummeled by the rival Georgia Bulldogs in the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” this weekend, which won’t be much fun for Florida fans.