SEC rises to the top of College Football Playoff rankings.
The SEC shows off its depth by topping the Big Ten in the first College Football Playoff rankings.
The first release of the College Football Playoff rankings is complete.
To no one’s surprise, defending national champion Ohio State took the No. 1 spot in the first of five total rankings to be released throughout the remainder of the season.
Stream the CFP Ranking Announcement Show Live with Fubo (Free Trial)
The Buckeyes started 8-0, followed by No. 2 Indiana, followed by No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama to earn the top four seeds. There are some changes to this year’s CFP format, but one notable similarity is that the top four seeds in the CFP will receive a first-round bye.
No. 7 BYU is currently the favorite to win the Big 12’s automatic bid and enters Week 11 with an 8-0 record. Virginia (ACC) and Memphis (USA) will also receive automatic bids despite being unranked at No. 14 in the CFP rankings.
The Cavaliers currently lead the ACC, while the Tigers are the highest-ranked team in the Group of Five (outside of the top 25) and are the current favorites to win the American Conference.
While this ranking will be controversial and sometimes heated throughout the rest of the season, it is important to remember that it is not final until the CFP Selection Committee selects the final Top 25 on Sunday, December 7th.
USA TODAY provided an update on the brackets as they were announced on October 4th. Check out the latest updates here:
Why did Big Ten teams Ohio State and Indiana take the top two spots over Texas A&M? According to CFP selection committee chairman Mac Rhoades, it was ultimately a matter of defense.
“We had a solid discussion about Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M,” Rose said on the show. “When I looked at the stats, I felt like Ohio State and Indiana were close. I felt like Ohio State was a little bit better on the offensive line and defense. When I included A&M as part of the discussion, I felt like the division there was the defense.”
- No. 12 Memphis vs. No. 5 Georgia
- No. 11 Virginia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
- No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 7 BYU
- No. 9 Oregon vs. No. 8 Texas Tech
- Bye: 1st place Ohio State University, 2nd place Indiana State, 3rd place Texas A&M University, 4th place Alabama State
- ohio
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- georgia
- Ole Miss
- BYU
- Texas Tech University
- Oregon
- virgin
- virginia
- memphis
This section will be updated.
- Ohio State University (8-0)
- Indiana (8-0)
- Texas A&M (8-0)
- Alabama (7-1)
- Georgia (7-1)
- Ole Miss (8-1)
- BYU (8-0)
- Texas Tech (8-1)
- Oregon State (7-1)
- Notre Dame (6-2)
- Texas (7-2)
- Oklahoma (7-2)
- Utah (7-2)
- Virginia (8-1)
- Louisville (7-1)
- Vanderbilt (7-2)
- Georgia Tech (8-1)
- Miami (6-2)
- Southern California (6-2)
- Iowa State (6-2)
- Michigan (7-2)
- Missouri (6-2)
- Washington (6-2)
- Pittsburgh (7-2)
- Tennessee (6-3)
The first CFP selection show of the 2025 college football season is underway. The rankings, along with analysis and comments from the CFP Chair, will be published shortly.
Have YouTube TV and looking for a way to watch tonight’s CFP Rankings Show?
Here’s how to watch the Top 25 announcements without YouTube TV.
Last season, the inaugural CFP Top 25 accurately placed 10 of the 12 teams that made the playoffs in the first year of the 12-team field. (Miami and BYU were the only teams left in the original rankings.)
Here, USA TODAY’s Matthew Glenescu breaks down how the initial rankings and final seedings unfolded.
Here is the entire 2026 College Football Playoff schedule:
- Selection show: Sunday, December 7th
- First round: Friday, December 19th, Saturday, December 20th
- Quarterfinals: Wednesday, December 31st, Thursday, January 1st
- Semi-finals: Thursday, January 8th, Friday, January 9th
- National Championship: Monday, January 19th
Below is a complete list of dates and times when the 2026 College Football Playoff rankings will be released.
Always east.
- Tuesday, November 4th (8pm)
- Tuesday, November 11th (7pm)
- Tuesday, November 18th (8:30pm)
- Tuesday, November 25th (7pm)
- Tuesday, December 2nd (7pm)
- Sunday, December 7th, noon
Here are the CFP ranking predictions from USA TODAY’s Paul Meyerberg:
- 1. Ohio State (9-0)
- 2. Indiana (9-0)
- 3. Texas A&M (8-0)
- 4. Alabama (7-1)
- 5. Georgia (7-1)
- 6. Ole Miss (7-1)
- 7. BYU (8-0)
- 8. Oregon State (7-1)
- 9. Texas Tech (8-1)
- 10. Notre Dame Cathedral (6-2)
- 11. Texas (7-2)
- 12.29 (7-2)
- 23. Memphis (8-1)
CFP ranking announcement timing
- date: Tuesday, November 4th
- time: 8pm ET
The College Football Playoff rankings will be released for the first time during the 2025 college football season on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. This is the first of five rankings to be published every Tuesday until December 2nd.
The official field for the 12-team CFP will be announced at noon ET on Sunday, Dec. 7, after all conference championship games played on Dec. 5 and 6.
Where to watch the College Football Playoff rankings announcement
All College Football Playoff rankings shows will be broadcast live on ESPN, including the first show on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Streaming options for the rankings show include the ESPN app (with TV login) and Fubo, which offers the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
