College Football Playoff Rankings Updated Before Official Bracket Release

With less than a week before the College Football Playoff bracket is finalized, the CFP Selection Committee moved then No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies down to No. 7 falling to the No. 13 Texas Longhorns. The USC Trojans are No. 16 and the Big Ten's fourth-highest ranked team.

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian gestures after a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

With the College Football Playoff bracket nearly finalized, the penultimate rankings had some interesting changes. The biggest upset of rivalry week came from then-No. 16 Texas defeating then-No. 3 Texas A&M and ruining the Aggies' perfect season.

While Texas A&M likely isn't eliminated from the CFP with a loss, the Aggies moved down to No. 7 and will miss the SEC Championship Game.

As a result, No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 6 Oregon, and No. 7 Ole Miss moved up and slid past Texas A&M. The saga of current LSU coach Lane Kiffin is finally over, but the impact of his departure has not yet impacted the Rebels' ranking.

Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

No. 16 USC is moved up slightly, moving ahead of No. 19 Michigan after the Wolverines' loss to No. 1 Ohio State. The Trojans are essentially eliminated from any CFP contention and can expect to finish the season as the fourth-highest ranked team out of the Big Ten.

Latest College Football Playoff Rankings

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

Biggest Surprises From Latest CFP Rankings

One of the biggest discussions surrounding the CFP rankings is the placement of No. 10 Notre Dame ahead of No. 12 Miami, despite the Hurricanes' early-season win over the Fighting Irish. Most recently, Notre Dame moved from No. 9 to No. 10 after being leapfrogged by No. 9 Alabama.

The head-to-head issue is nearly forced, especially with No. 11 BYU playing during conference championship weekend for the Big 12 title.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with his players after winning a NCAA football game 70-7 against Syracuse at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 3 Georgia and Alabama are scheduled to face off in the SEC Championship Game, and the Bulldogs are likely in the postseason regardless of the result. Can the same be said for the Crimson Tide if they lose to Georgia in Atlanta? Unlike No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, the SEC title

In the Big 12, what happens if No. 11 BYU loses a second time to No. 5 Texas Tech in the conference title game? If the Cougars beat the Red Raiders, on the other hand, then both Big 12 teams likely make the CFP.

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How close is Texas to making the 12-team field? The Longhorns are ranked No. 13 and are likely eliminated. The same can be said for No. 14 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Utah, and No. 16 USC as the Trojans have been considered eliminated since the loss to Oregon.

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (right) and defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart (4) pose with fans after the game against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

What about the spot reserved for a Group of Five program? No. 20 Tulane seems to have an inside track at the CFP, but more Group of Five teams are now ranked on Tuesday, including No. 25 James Madison or No. 24 North Texas.

Then-No. 19 Tennessee, then-No. 20 Arizona State, then-No. 21 SMU, then-No. 22 Pittsburgh, and then-No. 23 Georgia Tech all lost during rivalry weekend, and many of them are expected to be unranked. The Yellow Jackets lost to Georgia, so they stayed at No. 24. However, a number of new teams like No. 22 Iowa and No. 19 Arizona are now ranked.

College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction

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