When the Top 25 college football rankings are released for Championship Week

What you need to know as the most consequential top 25 college football rankings are set to be released coming out of Rivalry Week and moving into Championship Saturday.

Coming out of Rivalry Week, here's when the updated top 25 college football rankings will be released. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The regular season is in the books, Rivalry Week is all sewn up, and now voters are left with quite a dilemma as they reconsider the top 25 college football rankings after a dozen weeks of action and now moving into our first taste of the postseason.

Ohio State and Indiana did their job, but the other remaining undefeated team didn’t do theirs, as third-ranked SEC title hopeful Texas A&M lost their first game of the season in the last week of the season in a stunning upset at Texas.

When will we know what happens? Here’s what you need to know for when the various college football rankings will be released as we prepare for Championship Week.

When the Top 25 college football rankings will come out

First up, the Coaches Poll will be announced at or around 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Nov. 30 after the eligible coaches cast their ballots for the top 25 teams.

From there, the Associated Press will announce its official top 25 rankings at or around 2 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Nov. 30 after official voters submit their ballots to the AP to be counted.

And then, for the penultimate time in 2025: the official College Football Playoff rankings, set for their release a couple days later, at 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Keep in mind, however: much like the football rankings themselves, their scheduled release time isn’t an exact science and may not be exactly right.

These are estimated times and occasionally the ranking services can be early or late, by as much as 15 to 30 minutes every week.

Sometimes, ballots arrive late or there are technical issues in calculating them, but both polls are usually released around the times listed.

College Football Playoff rankings schedule for 2025

Four times already this season, members of the College Football Playoff selection committee have revealed their official top 25 rankings and bracket projections.

This week finds the selectors releasing their penultimate rankings coming out of Rivalry Week, and after Championship Saturday will reveal their final decisions on Selection Sunday in the near future.

All times Eastern

CFP rankings release No. 1
Tues., Nov. 4 at 8 p.m.

CFP rankings release No. 2
Tues., Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.

CFP rankings release No. 3
Tues., Nov. 18 at 8:30 p.m.

CFP rankings release No. 4
Tues., Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.

CFP rankings release No. 5
Tues., Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.

Selection Sunday
Sun., Dec. 7 at 12 p.m.