Ohio State tops the rankings after Week 10 (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
Only four unbeatens remain and are atop the rankings. Only 17 teams with one loss or less remain. November, the money month of college football, is here and is promising a great ending to an already great season.
1. Ohio State (8-0) (Last Week #1) (#1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #1 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Buckeyes continue to impress and crush whatever opponent they play. With Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, and michigan remaining on the schedule, they should be 11-0 going into the final week of the regular season. If they are, they likely have a College Football Playoff bid locked up before they even travel to Ann Arbor.
2. BYU (8-0) (Last Week #2) (#7 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #8 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Cougars had this week off. Their bye week came at a perfect time as they hope to get injured running back LJ Martin back from injury by their game this coming Saturday on the road against Texas Tech.
3. Indiana (9-0) (Last Week #3) (#2 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #2 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
IU’s #1 scoring offense in the nation won’t be stopped. They have a trap game this week against Penn State, but if they stay within 10 of their 46.6 points per game, you can pencil them in to the Big Ten Championship game right now. With only Wisconsin and Purdue left after PSU, if they win this weekend, you can practically write them in for that game in stone.
4. Texas A&M (8-0) (Last Week #5) (#3 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #3 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Aggies needed their week off before they play their third consecutive road game this Saturday. Playing at Arkansas, at LSU, and at Missouri back-to-back-to-back is a tough haul for anyone.
5. Virginia (8-1) (Last Week #7) (#14 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #12 and #11 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I have them up here because I stick to my criteria, but I’m still not sure how good Virginia is. Their lone loss to NC State doesn’t look as bad since NCSU took down Georgia Tech. Their win over #9 and 7-1 Louisville continues to age well. With the way they’re playing, I don’t see a loss left on their schedule. They should be 11-1, and to the ACC Championship game.
6. Alabama (7-1) (Last Week #8) (#4 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #4 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Bama had a bye this week and will play rivals LSU this Saturday. The Tide are at home, and LSU is reeling, but a wounded Tiger can be the most dangerous kind.
7. Georgia (7-1) (Last Week #9) (#5 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #5 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
8. Oregon (7-1) (Last Week #11) (#9 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #6 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Dan Lanning’s squad had a bye this week to have extra prep time for their road trip to Iowa City. Playing the Hawkeyes in their nest in November can be a death trap for even a great team.
9. Louisville (7-1) (Last Week #12) (#15 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #14 and #15 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I’m not certain on the tie breakers, but if Louisville, Virginia, and Georgia Tech all win out, I think Louisville will be on the outside looking in of the ACC Championship. That said, if they win their next four games, an 11-1 record in any Power Four Conference should punch your ticket to the College Football Playoff.
10. Texas Tech (8-1) (Last Week #15) (#8 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #9 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Red Raiders can’t help but want that ASU loss back. When their quarterback is healthy, they are tough to beat. The game this week against BYU will just be Volume I for these two teams this season. They’ll meet again in Arlington in December.
11. Ole Miss (8-1) (Last Week #16) (#6 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #7 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
There’s not a team in the country that has an easier path to winning out than Ole Miss. They play the Citadel this Saturday for their SEC Late Season FCS Layup, then they host Florida, and then play in the Egg Bowl. If you can’t win these three games, you don’t deserve to be in the College Football Playoff. Period.
12. Georgia Tech (8-1) (Last Week #6) (#17 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #15 and #14 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Tech still controls their own destiny. Haynes King can still win the Heisman. The Yellow Jackets can still get to and in the ACC Championship. They can still beat Georgia. They can still make the College Football Playoff. How they handle the loss to NCSU is what matters. If they treat it as a wake-up call, they can still continue to their special season.
13. James Madison (7-1) (Last Week #19) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Dukes crushed Texas State on a Tuesday night game in San Marcos, Texas. JMU is in sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt Conference’s East Division. James Madison is powered by their quarterback Alonza Barrett III. Barrett has 1,780 passing yards and 17 passing touchdowns. He also has 462 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
14. North Texas (8-1) (Last Week #20) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
It was a big win for the Mean Green in giving Navy their first loss of the season. The bad news for North Texas is that if they win out and finish the season 11-1, they could still miss the American Conference Championship game. They need someone to take down either USF or Memphis. Even then, this would still be an important and special season for North Texas.
15. San Diego State (7-1) (Last Week #21) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
If SDSU finishes 12-1 and as Mountain West Champions, they could have a case for being the Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff. They’ll need the American Conference to tear itself apart, but that could very well happen.
16. Memphis (8-1) (Last Week #22) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #22 and #23 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Memphis demolished Rice, and looks like a completely different team since their upset at the hands of UAB. They beat USF and crushed Rice. Brendon Lewis is effective as a passer and a runner. Their remaining three games against Tulane, East Carolina, and Navy won’t be easy, but Memphis won’t be an underdog the rest of the regular season.
17. Navy (7-1) (Last Week #4) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The loss to North Texas makes their game against Notre Dame a must-win for Navy. I’m not sure they make it to the College Football Playoff if they have two losses. Three of their final four opponents are bowl eligible, and the fourth is rival Army, who would love to spoil their season the way Navy upset Army last year.
18. Miami (6-2) (Last Week #18) (#18 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #18 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Miami is trending downward, and the only thing holding them is their win over Notre Dame. I’m not sure they can finish the season 10-2, and if in two weeks they’re 7-3 and Notre Dame is 8-2, the Irish would then finally jump them.
19. Notre Dame (6-2) (Last Week #24) (#10 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #10 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Notre Dame is following their blueprint from last year. Follow up early-season struggles by just steadily plowing forward and getting better every week. There is a possibility that they could go 10-2 and still miss the College Football Playoff, but it’s unlikely. Help from their rival, USC, would go a long way for the Irish.
20. Iowa (6-2) (Last Week #25) (#20 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Unranked and #24 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Iowa had the week off to rest and prepare for Oregon’s visit to Kinnick Stadium. Legacy members of the Big Ten have learned the hard way what a tough game a trip to Iowa in November can be. Will Oregon be next?
21. USC (6-2) (Unranked Last Week) (#19 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #20 and #21 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
That was a big road win for USC against Nebraska. Their Big Ten and postseason hopes would have both evaporated if they’d lost. SC could win out, finish 10-2, miss the Big Ten Championship, miss the College Football Playoff, and yet this season would still be a step in the right direction for the SC program.
22. Utah (6-2) (Unranked Last Week) (#13 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #17 and #19 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
With their losses being to two top-ten teams, it was imperative that Utah get a win over ranked Cincinnati, and they did so emphatically. All Utah can do is win the games on their schedule and hope for some chaos out in front of them.
23. Washington (6-2) (Unranked Last Week) (#23 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #24 and Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Huskies had the week off as they continue to try to rally and pursue a playoff berth despite their losses to Ohio State and michigan. They’ll be back in action this week when they visit Wisconsin and Camp Randall Stadium.
24. TCU (6-2) (Unranked Last Week) (Unranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs had this week off before they host Iowa State. Then they’ll face what looks to be a gauntlet to close the season against BYU, Houston, and Cincinnati.
25. Texas (7-2) (Unranked Last Week) (#11 in the College Football Playoff Rankings) (Ranked #13 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The reports of Texas, Coach Sark, and Arch Manning’s season being over were greatly exaggerated. If their win against Vanderbilt was a sign of things to come, then the rest of the SEC better look out. They have a tough remaining schedule. They have this week off, then play at Georgia, who beat them twice last year, Arkansas, a rival who’s been close to winning a ton of big games this year, and Texas A&M, another rival who is undefeated at the moment. If Texas gets there, they’ll have earned it.
Playoff Projection
First Round
5. BYU (12-1) vs. 12. USF (11-2)
Friday, December 18th, 2025 – Provo, Utah
6. Georgia Tech (12-1) vs. 11. Texas Tech (11-2)
Saturday, December 19th, 2025 – Atlanta, Georgia
7. Ole Miss (11-1) vs. 10. Louisville (11-1)
Saturday, December 19th, 2025 – Oxford, Mississippi
8. Ohio State (11-1) vs. 9. Virginia (11-2)
Saturday, December 19th, 2025 – Columbus, Ohio
Quarterfinals
1. Indiana (13-0) vs. 8. Ohio State (12-1)
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – Pasadena, California
4. Oregon (11-1) vs. 5. BYU (13-1)
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – Miami, Florida
2. Alabama (12-1) vs. 7. (12-1) Ole Miss
Thursday, January 1st, 2026 – New Orleans, Louisiana
3. Texas A&M (11-1) vs. 11. Texas Tech (12-2)
Wednesday, December 31st, 2025 – Arlington, Texas
Semifinals
5. BYU (14-1) vs. 8. Ohio State (13-1)
Thursday, January 8th, 2026 – Glendale, Arizona
2. Alabama (13-1) vs. 3. Texas Tech (13-2)
Friday, January 9th, 2026 – Atlanta, Georgia
National Championship
2. Alabama (14-1) vs. 8. Ohio State (14-1)
Monday, January 19th, 2026 – Miami, Florida
National Champions
8. Ohio State (15-1) repeats and is the 2025 National Champion
The above is how I think the season will play out, and how I think the committee will vote, not how I think it should be. My top 12, including seeding and based on how I think the teams will enter the College Football Playoff, is below.
- Indiana (13-0) (Big Ten Champions)
- Alabama (12-1) (SEC Champions) (Only loss to FSU)
- BYU (12-1) (Big 12 Champions) (Only loss to Texas Tech)
- Georgia Tech (12-1) (ACC Champions) (Only loss to NC State)
- Oregon (11-1) (at-large) (Only loss to Indiana in Week 6)
- Louisville (11-1) (at-large) (Only loss to Virginia)
- Ohio State (11-1) (at-large) (Only loss in final regular season game)
- Texas A&M (11-1) (at-large) (Only loss to Texas)
- Ole Miss (11-1) (at-large) (Only loss to Georgia)
- Texas Tech (11-2) (at-large, Big 12 runner-up) (Losses to Arizona State and to BYU in the Big 12 Championship)
- Virginia (11-2) (at-large, ACC runner-up) (Losses to NC State and to Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship)
- San Diego State (12-1) (Highest Ranked Group of Five Champion) (Only loss to Washington State in Week 2)
