College Football Playoff Rankings: Ohio State, Indiana lead first top 25 of 2025

The first edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings was released Tuesday night, with undefeated Ohio State opening at No. 1, ahead of Indiana. Just over a month until the final College Football Playoff Bracket has been selected, so OSU will have to hold off not only the Hoosiers but the rest of the top 25 if it aims to retain the top seed in the postseason.

Reigning national champion Buckeyes are off to a dominant start this year with wins over Texas and Illinois and are seeking their seventh playoff appearance in twelve years of the postseason series' existence (2014, 2016, 2019-20, 2022, 2024).

Eight of the eleven teams ranked No. 1 in the initial season-long CFP rankings ultimately reached the playoffs, an effort now made easier as the expanded field of twelve teams was contested for a second season.

Ohio State is in a strong position to go wire-to-wire, sitting at 8-0 (5-0 Big Ten) with just one game remaining against a ranked opponent, the regular-season finale at Michigan. It will go toe-to-toe atop the Big Ten with undefeated Indiana, a team whose last three opponents are a combined 7-18 on the season, 0-16 in Big Ten play.

Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia round out the rest of the top five.

There was no Group of Five program included in Tuesday's release. Because the 12-team playoff model awards automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions, the CFP selection committee would choose a team to make the final bid should anyone else not be listed in the final CFP rankings. The American's Memphis currently occupies that position, the committee said.

College football playoff rankings, November 4

~ Day first round | Only 11 teams in the rankings below would make the projected playoff, as one team from the Group of Five — the fifth automatic bid as conference champions (Memphis) — is not listed.

1. Ohio State (8-0) ~
2. Indiana (9-0)~
3. Texas A&M (8-0) ~
4. Alabama(7-1)~
5. Georgia (7-1)
6. Ole Miss (8-1)
7. BYU (8-0)
8. Texas Tech (8-1)
9. Oregon (7-1)
10. Notre Dame (6-2)
11. Texel (7-2)
12. Oklahoma (7-2)
13. Utah (7-2)
14. Virginia (8-1) — No. 11 seed
15. Louisville (7-1)
16. Vanderbilt (7-2)
17. Georgia Tech (8-1)
18. Miami (FL) (6-2)
19. USC (6-2)
20. Iowa (6-2)
21. Michigan (7-2)
22. Missouri (6-2)
23. Washington (6-2)
24. Pittsburgh (7-2)
25. Tennessee (6-3)

Reaction to the College Football Playoff Rankings: Red River Rivals Texas and Oklahoma Are in Prime Spoiler Territory

Shehan Jeyarajah

Analysis by bowl expert Brad Crawford

New statistics at work

The selection committee made it clear Tuesday that they will put more emphasis on wins over quality opponents this season while minimizing the reward for beating teams with records below .500. This is the purpose of the playoffs' new “record strength” metric, which is designed to go beyond overall records and provide deeper reasoning for where teams end up and why. Essentially, record strength is how well an average top 25 team plays on their schedule compared to others. No arguments here for the teams ranked No. 1 and 2 – Ohio State and Indiana. Based on an eye test, both teams look like the two titans of college football through Week 10.

Drama brewing in ACC?

Surprise, surprise in the ACC. No. No. 14 Virginia (8-1) and No. 15 Louisville (7-1) facing Georgia Tech (8-1) and Miami (6-2) was stunning considering the Hurricanes' handful of notable wins early in the season. Neither the Yellow Jackets nor Hurricanes are seen as two of college football's elite in the eyes of the selection committee, at least not at this point. That will change if Georgia Tech wins and goes into a rivalry weekend with Georgia, but for now Saturday's loss to NC State clearly hurt their stock in this first poll. No team that has beaten Georgia Tech this season is ranked, and the only wins against FBS teams with winning records are those of Temple, Wake Forest and Duke.

Miami rumbles early

The selection committee's protocol states that “when peripheral conditions indicate that teams are comparable”, head-to-head confrontation is part of the criteria to be taken into account. However, it's clear that No. 18 Miami isn't on the same pedestal as 10th-ranked Notre Dame, despite beating the Fighting Irish in the season opener, eliminating that head-to-head idea. If Notre Dame wins, it means the Fighting Irish will ride a 10-game winning streak into the postseason, with additional quality wins against Navy and Pitt in November. Miami also has chances to beat a few quality teams, including the nationally ranked Panthers, but that won't matter to the Hurricanes with three ACC teams in front of them. When teams are similar, the strength of schedule and the comparative results of common opponents are two factors to consider during final deliberations. Unfortunately for Miami, this selection committee has already eliminated Mario Cristobal's team.

Texas A&M in a good spot

At the SEC, the selection committee values ​​spotless Texas A&M. The Aggies' strong schedule is outside the top 10, while Alabama's overall strength ranks No. 4. The Aggies have three wins over teams with winning records — Notre Dame, LSU and Mississippi State — while the Crimson Tide has four. Texas A&M is in no danger of falling behind Alabama in these CFP rankings if both teams win and meet in Atlanta for the SEC championship, given what's left for the Aggies — two games against ranked teams along with South Carolina and Samford.

Consider the subjective factor of the committee

What happens behind the scenes of the process is not public, only the rankings, along with a few details here and there from playoff chairman Mack Rhoades during weekly television appearances that justify the poll. This could explain why Oregon is ranked No. 9 with one loss, trailing the other one-loss teams Ole Miss, Texas Tech and others. Oregon has just one win over an opponent with a winning record (Northwestern). Then-No. 3 Penn State fell behind in double overtime at home against Oregon, but that win has lost most, if not all, of its luster. To the Ducks' credit, they rank fourth in game control and eighth in record strength, meaning they've handled things as expected other than the loss to Indiana on October 11.