College Football Playoff Rankings Reactions: Who Rose, Who Fell, and Who’s Still Searching for Respect
By: Ethan Hu
The latest edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings dropped on Tuesday night, and with it came some new debates, a few surprises, and questions about how the committee views teams’ resumes. Here’s the latest Top 25:
- Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0)
- Indiana Hoosiers (11-0)
- Texas A&M Aggies (10-0)
- Georgia Bulldogs (9-1)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-1)
- Ole Miss Rebels (10-1)
- Oregon Ducks (9-1)
- Oklahoma Sooners (8-2)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (8-2)
- BYU Cougars (9-1)
- Utah Utes (8-2)
- Miami Hurricanes (8-2)
- Vanderbilt Commodores (8-2)
- USC Trojans (8-2)
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-1)
- Texas Longhorns (7-3)
- Michigan Wolverines (8-2)
- Virginia Cavaliers (9-2)
- Tennessee Volunteers (7-3)
- Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3)
- Missouri Tigers (7-3)
- Houston Cougars (8-2)
- Tulane Green Wave (8-2)
- Arizona State Sun Devils (7-3)
Here are some of my takeaways for the teams on this list.
Hello Tulane, but no love for James Madison?
Tulane enters the CFP rankings for the first time since its expansion, and the resume speaks for itself. The Green Wave has Power 4 wins over Northwestern and Duke, plus a victory over former AAC frontrunner Memphis.
But the surprise isn’t Tulane coming in, it’s James Madison staying out.
While JMU hasn’t played the strongest schedule, with its only Power 4 opponent being Louisville. But they have taken care of business in the Sun Belt this season and hold an undefeated record in the conference. Tulane’s resume deserves its respect, but JMU’s dominance should be noted as well. If the Dukes could finish with an undefeated conference record and, with some help, they could slip into the 12-team field.
Notre Dame vs Miami: Where’s the logic?
This is the ranking that gets people talking.
Notre Dame’s two losses this year:
- By 3 to Miami on the road
- By 1 to Texas A&M at home
Miami has the head-to-head record, but why are the Hurricanes ranked lower?
The committee has always emphasized “complete resumes,” but this is another example of inconsistency in valuing quality wins vs. quality losses. Miami’s playoff hopes are far from over, but their margin for error is skinny. They’ll need to win out, reach the ACC Championship, and possibly get help to stay in the projected 12-team field.
Until then, this ranking discrepancy will linger.
Goodbye Texas: The Hype Burns Out Fast
The Arch Manning era began with national-title buzz in Austin, but the season-long spiral continues.
A close loss to defending champion Ohio State wasn’t a season killer. But the setback at unranked Florida in early October marked the beginning of the unraveling. Still, back-to-back top-10 wins over Oklahoma and Vanderbilt briefly revived the playoff conversation.
Then came Georgia.
Last weekend’s blowout loss sent Texas tumbling from No. 10 all the way down to No. 17, the most significant drop in the entire rankings. At 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, their playoff hopes are effectively dead. Worse for them, Oklahoma’s resurgence (and their road win at Alabama) gives the Sooners a stronger case despite the identical conference record.
Texas had a path. Now it’s gone.
