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College Football Playoff Rankings After Indiana, Oregon Avoid Upsets

Tuesday's College Football Playoff rankings have the No. 17 USC Trojans and No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes prepared for a ranked matchup. The No. 6 Texas Tech Red Raiders jumped over the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels after beating the No. 12 BYU Cougars.
Charlie Viehl|
Oct 25, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks off the field after the game against the UCLA Bruins at Memorial Stadium.
Oct 25, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks off the field after the game against the UCLA Bruins at Memorial Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

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The College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings were released on Tuesday, and the USC Trojans climbed up to No. 17.

In the biggest game of the weekend, then No. 8 Texas Tech dominated then-No. 7 BYU, and the Red Raiders jumped over No. 7 Ole Miss as a result. Outside of that top-10 matchup in the Big 12, no other teams in the top-10 of the initial CFP rankings lost.

USC's next opponent, the No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes, did. Iowa almost beat No. 9 Oregon, but a go-ahead field goal in the last seconds gave the Ducks the win. With the near upset, the Selection Committee only dropped Iowa one spot from No. 20 to No. 21. Regardless of the Hawkeyes' ranking, USC will need to beat Iowa in order to keep the Trojans' postseason hopes alive.

USC Trojans college football playoff rankings Lincoln Riley Iowa Hawkeyes Indiana Hoosiers Oregon Ducks Texas Tech BYU
Oregon Ducks kicker Atticus Sappington (36) attempts the game-winning field goal Nov. 8, 2025 during a Big Ten Football game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CFP Selection Committee Rankings

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Texas Tech
7. Ole Miss
8. Oregon
9. Notre Dame
10. Texas
11. Oklahoma
12. BYU
13. Utah
14. Vanderbilt
15. Miami
16. Georgia Tech
17. USC
18. Michigan
19. Virginia
20. Louisville
21. Iowa
22. Pittsburgh
23. Tennessee
24. South Florida
25. Cincinnati

In addition to Oregon, No. 2 Indiana was nearly upset on the road. Late-game heroics from Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and an incredible catch by Omar Cooper Jr. saved Indiana's perfect season. After picking up relatively "ugly" wins, neither the Ducks or the Hoosiers moved down at all in the CFP rankings.

No. 3 Texas A&M looked the part against No. 22 Missouri, and some thought the Aggies could jump over Indiana on Tuesday. However, Texas A&M stays put at No. 3.

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college football playoff rankings USc Trojans lincoln riley Iowa Hawkeyes big ten louisville cardinals virginia cavalier
Nov 8, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) runs the ball against Louisville Cardinals defensive back D'Angelo Hutchinson (21) during the second half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. California defeated Louisville 29-26. | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Then-No. 14 Virginia and then-No. 15 Louisville were both upset on Saturday, giving some room for teams like USC to move up slightly in the rankings. Still, the Trojans will likely stay behind No. 15 Miami, No. 16 Georgia Tech, and No. 14 Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt needed a second-half comeback as well as overtime to beat Auburn, but the Commodores kept their CFP hopes alive with a win.

For USC, a win against a ranked opponent like Iowa or Oregon could cause the CFP Selection Committee to move the Trojans up. However, the Trojans' position in the CFP rankings is somewhat irrelevant if USC coach Lincoln Riley and his team can't get past the Iowa Hawkeyes or Oregon Ducks.

USC Trojans college football playoff rankings Lincoln Riley Iowa Hawkeyes Indiana Hoosiers Oregon Ducks Texas Tech BYU
Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

With a rather difficult remaining schedule, USC still controls its destiny. The Trojans' loss to No. 9 Notre Dame doesn't impact their positioning in the Big Ten standings, meaning even a conference championship is still on the table for Riley and company.

However, a third loss would be detrimental to any CFP hopes.

CFP Selection Committee Week 10 Rankings

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Ole Miss
7. BYU
8. Texas Tech
9. Oregon
10. Notre Dame
11. Texas
12. Oklahoma
13. Utah
14. Virginia
15. Louisville
16. Vanderbilt
17. Georgia Tech
18. Miami
19. USC
20. Iowa
21. Michigan
22. Missouri
23. Washington
24. Pittsburgh
25. Tennessee

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Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is the deputy editor for the Oregon Ducks, Colorado Buffaloes, and USC Trojans on SI. He has written hundreds of articles for SI and has covered events like the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician, holding a degree in Music and Philosophy from Boston College. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

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