This is a big day.
Yes, it is Election Day in various jurisdictions across the country — and we do hope you cast a vote today if you are living where elections are happening — but the College Football Playoff Selection Committee released their first Top 25 ahead of this year’s College Football Playoff.
Let’s dive into the details.
The initial College Football Playoff rankings
Here are the Top 25 teams in the Committee’s initial rankings:
1. Ohio State (8-0)
2. Indiana (9-0)
3. Texas A&M (8-0)
4. Alabama (7-1)
5. Georgia (7-1)
6. Mississippi (8-1)
7. BYU (8-0)
8. Texas Tech (8-1)
9. Oregon (7-1)
10. Notre Dame (6-2)
11. Texas (7-2)
12. Oklahoma (7-2)
13. Utah (7-2)
14. Virginia (8-1)
15. Louisville (7-1)
16. Vanderbilt (7-2)
17. Georgia Tech (8-1)
18. Miami (6-2)
19. USC (6-2)
20. Iowa (6-2)
21. Michigan (7-2)
22. Missouri (6-2)
23. Washington (6-2)
24. Pittsburgh (7-2)
25. Tennessee (6-3)
Who are the 12 teams in the Playoff right now?
If the College Football Playoff began this weekend, here are the 12 teams that would be in the dance.
It is worth noting that ahead of this season, the Selection Committee made a change to the format, moving to a straight-seeding system. While last season the top four highest-ranked conference champions received the automatic first-round byes, this year the top four teams in the rankings will earn byes to the quarterfinals, regardless of conference affiliation.
The change, announced in May, is geared towards recognizing the “best performance on the field during the entire regular season” according to the Committee.
“After evaluating the first year of the 12-team playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a released statement back in May. “This change will continue to allow guaranteed access to the playoff by rewarding teams for winning their conference championship, but it will also allow us to construct a postseason bracket that recognizes the best performance on the field during the entire regular season.”
With that bit of business taken care of, here is what the 12-team field would look like if the Playoff began this week, listed by their hypothetical seed.
1. Ohio State
The Buckeyes have not played the toughest schedule — their season-opening win over then-No. 1 Texas remains their biggest test to date — but Ohio State has taken care of business every single time they’ve taken the field. That win over Texas remains the closest game they’ve played to date, and their biggest challenge remaining besides the annual battle with Michigan is the Big Ten Championship Game, barring a late-season stumble.
2. Indiana
What the Hoosiers lack in a big non-conference win, they more than make up for with a victory over Oregon in Eugene. Indiana does not have a ranked opponent left on their schedule, but a potential Big Ten Championship date with the Buckeyes looms just over the horizon.
3. Texas A&M
In the search for big non-conference wins, Texas A&M’s win in South Bend over Notre Dame certainly stands out. But two massive tests remain for the Aggies: Road games against a ranked Missouri team this weekend, and their year-end game against Texas in Austin on the Friday night after Thanksgiving.
Still, that win over Notre Dame is likely a reason behind Texas A&M’s strong showing in the initial CFP Top 25.
4. Alabama
Remember the vibes in Tuscaloosa after Alabama’s season-opening loss to Florida State?
If you do not remember, that is more than understandable, because that feels like a lifetime ago. All the Crimson Tide have done since then is win, knocking off ranked opponents such as Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. And Alabama might have the best win of the season, their win over Georgia in Athens.
More tests remain, as the Crimson Tide still have to face LSU, Oklahoma, and Auburn before a potential SEC Championship Game.
Games that could make an already strong resume even stronger.
5. Georgia
Georgia is in the mix once again and bring a strong resume to the College Football Playoff. The only blemish on their schedule can’t really be considered one, with losing to Alabama by a field goal hardly being a major indictment. Since then the ‘Dawgs have been on a tear, beating everyone in front of them including ranked teams like Tennessee and Ole Miss.
Two big tests remain on their schedule against Texas and Georgia Tech, two teams ranked in the initial Top 25. They’ll be favored in both, and with the 9th ranked Strength of Schedule this season they’ll be a force in the postseason.
6. Mississippi
Ole Miss is having to endure distractions about the future of head coach Lane Kiffin to push through and close out the season strong. This is why the No. 7 ranked Rebels are fascinating to watch as we push towards the postseason.
Their only loss came to Georgia, and Mississippi’s win over LSU lost a lot of its luster — but Ole Miss still beat Oklahoma, South Carolina and will coast to the end of the season with a comically early 56th ranked remaining SoS. As long as they don’t hit a trap game they’ll be in the postseason.
7. BYU
According to the Selection Committee’s Protocols, strength of schedule is one of the main factors to be considered when comparing teams.
That is why the unbeaten Cougars are ranked behind teams with losses in this initial Top 25.
BYU has won every time out this season, but with a schedule that only ranks 46th in the nation, the Cougars are going to get knocked down a few spots as a result. That could change starting this week, when BYU visits Texas Tech. The Cougars also have a date with Cincinnati on the road to close out the regular season, and as the only undefeated team left in the Big 12, they have an inside track to the conference title game as well.
8. Texas Tech
The biggest blemish against the Red Raiders is their 58th ranked schedule entering this year. While Texas Tech has done a phenomenal job handling the opponents in front of them, it’s been a pretty easy road outside of their win over Utah. Losing to Arizona State hurts their resume, but really everything hinges on this coming weekend.
Texas Tech is set to face No. 8 BYU. If they’re able to pull off the win then they have a solid claim to being part of the playoff. A loss will likely put them on the outside looking in.
9. Oregon
It’s going to be a nail-biting close to the season for Oregon fans. As it stands right now the Ducks would be in, but there’s very little margin for error. That margin will likely come down to back-to-back games against USC and Washington to close out the season.
One of the most explosive offenses in the nation won’t be good enough to carry Oregon through if they lose one or both of those games to ranked opponents, with their only signature win coming in double overtime against Penn State.
10. Notre Dame
The Irish need a lot of help to make the playoffs this year. There’s essentially nothing they can do with their remaining schedule other than win out against inferior opponents, and hope teams above them falter.
Ultimately they’re just a hard sell this year. Back-to-back losses to open the season against Miami and Texas A&M put them in a hole that’s difficult to dig out of. Crazier things have happened, and we’ll need to see how the remainder of the season pans out.
11. Virginia
Well, someone from the ACC is getting a spot in the Playoff
And if it began this week, that team would be the Cavaliers.
At the moment Virginia sits atop the ACC standings with an 8-1 record overall, and a 5-0 record in the conference. That might seem a bit … odd at first blush, given Virginia’s loss to NC State, but that game was classified as a non-conference game, to adhere to the ACC’s scheduling rules while preserving that historic rivalry. The Cavaliers also have a win over Louisville, which helps their status in these rankings. As things stand they will not se a ranked team again until a potential ACC Championship Game, perhaps a rematch with Louisville.
12. Memphis
Similar to the discussion around the ACC, a team out of the AAC is earning an automatic qualifier.
That could be Memphis, who were unranked in the Top 25 but would get in as the No. 12.
At the moment Navy sits atop the standings, with a 7-1 record overall along with a 5-1 conference record. Memphis checks in with an 8-1 record (4-1 in AAC) play along with North Texas, also at 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the AAC.
But while Navy still has to play Notre Dame in their annual rivalry game, along with Memphis on Thanksgiving night, the Tigers do not have a ranked opponent left on their schedule. At the moment, the door seems open for Memphis to grab this spot out of the AAC.
The potential College Football Playoff bracket
Given these rankings, here is what the College Football Playoff bracket would look like, with the top-four teams receiving byes to the quarterfinals as outlined above.