Who are the best teams in College Football right now? That depends on who you ask, but this week it’s going to be the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s opinion, front and center, when they release their first College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night.
Wondering how things will shake out? Here’s what the current projections look like, and a guide to how these ranking decisions are made.
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How Do the College Football Playoff Rankings Work?
The College Football Playoff rankings are set by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, which is composed of athletic directors, former coaches and other college football experts. The Committee releases six rankings throughout the season, the Nov. 4, 2025 set being the first for the current season.
How Does the CFP Rank Teams?
To develop the rankings, the CFPSC takes the following factors into consideration for each team:
- Win/loss record: How many games a team has won or lost, with teams more heavily in the “W” column naturally ranking higher.
- Strength of Schedule: How tough of a road the team faces throughout the season. Some teams will have a slate of weaker opponents on their season schedule, while others might face the best of the best, week after week.
- Head-to-heads: If two teams are tied in the rankings or are generally comparable by other factors, the CFPSC will give more credit to one of the teams if they’ve beaten the other during the season.
- Opponents in common: Similarly, if two teams have faced the same opponents, the results are compared between the teams.
- Conference championships: If a team wins their conference, it can significantly boost their ranking. The number of conference championships a team has won is a primary ranking factor.
- Player and coach availability: If a coach or a key player is absent or otherwise sidelined and unable to participate in the team’s activities, and if that absence could have a big impact on the team’s performance, that’s also taken into consideration.
Why are the College Football Playoff Rankings Important?
The College Football Playoff rankings are important because they are used to determine which teams qualify for the College Football Playoff, and how they’re seeded ahead of the tournament.
The CFPSC will use “straight seeding” for the first time this season, where teams are seeded in the order that they are ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings. Previously, the five highest-ranked conference champions received the highest seeds. That won’t be the case this year, but the five champs will still be guaranteed spots in the Playoff.
Due to the season stakes associated with the rankings, the CFPSC’s rankings are considered to carry more weight than other rankings, like the ones released by the Associated Press or the Coaches’ Poll. They can often be controversial, sparking spirited debate among fans and experts alike.
Beyond the in-season implications of the rankings, they also matter for a team’s overall success season-to-season. Teams that consistently rank highly in the CFP rankings often have an easier team recruiting top talent and amping up their fan base.
2025 College Football Playoff Ranking Projections
Here’s how the College Football Playoff rankings are projected to look right now:
- Ohio State (8-0)
- Indiana (9-0)
- Texas A&M (8-0)
- Alabama (7-1)
- Georgia (7-1)
- Ole Miss (8-1)
- BYU (8-0)
- Texas Tech (8-1)
- Oregon (7-1)
- Texas (7-2)
- Miami (6-2)
- Notre Dame (6-2)
- Oklahoma (7-2)
- Georgia Tech (8-1)
- Vanderbilt (7-2)
- Virginia (8-1)
- Louisville (7-1)
- Utah (7-2)
- USC (6-2)
- Michigan (7-2)
- Washington (6-2)
- Memphis (8-1)
- Illinois (6-3)
- Missouri (6-2)
- South Florida (6-2)
How to Watch the College Football Playoff Rankings Reveal
You can watch the College Football Playoff rankings release at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 on ESPN (DIRECTV Channel 206).
When Does the College Football Playoff Start and End in 2025?
The College Football Playoff starts on December 19, 2025 with the first four games of the first round.
The College Football Playoff national championship game will be played on January 19, 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When do the first 2025 College Football Playoff rankings get released?
The College Football Playoff selection committee's first official rankings of the 2025-26 season will be released at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025
Who is currently at the top of the rankings?
Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama are currently at the top of the CFB rankings by most projections.
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