The second CFP rankings release is set for Tuesday night, and the picture is already getting messy in the best possible way. Miami is headed for a drop, Notre Dame is positioned to move ahead of the Hurricanes, and the committee is once again staring at a board full of results it can twist into something loud.
The biggest change in this projected top 25 is Miami sliding to No. 7 after its 31-24 loss to Notre Dame. That defeat was the Hurricanes’ first of the season, and it also handed the Irish a tiebreaker that could matter if a first-round bye becomes part of the conversation. Neither team lands in the predicted top four, but there’s still plenty of movement left to sort through.
Here’s how the projected rankings shake out:
- Georgia Bulldogs, 42-7 win over Ole Miss
- Utah Utes, 28-20 win over BYU
- Alabama Crimson Tide, 31-13 win over LSU
- Texas Longhorns, 34-20 win over Missouri
- Indiana Hoosiers did not play
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 31-24 win over Miami
- Miami Hurricanes, 31-24 loss to Notre Dame
- Tennessee Volunteers, 34-6 win over Kentucky
- UCLA Bruins, 34-20 win over Minnesota
- Texas Tech Red Raiders, 53-48 win over West Virginia
- Houston Cougars, 31-24 win over Cincinnati
- Kentucky Wildcats, 34-6 loss to Tennessee
- BYU Cougars, 28-20 loss to Utah
- Oregon Ducks, 41-28 win over Ohio State
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 77-0 win over Merrimack
- Iowa Hawkeyes, 24-10 win over Northwestern
- USC Trojans did not play
- South Carolina Gamecocks, 17-9 win over Texas A&M
- Boise State Broncos, 64-38 win over Colorado State
- Ole Miss Rebels, 42-7 loss to Georgia
- Arizona Wildcats, 29-28 win over TCU
- LSU Tigers, 31-13 loss to Alabama
- SMU Mustangs, 51-28 win over Virginia Tech
- Oklahoma State Cowboys, 66-28 win over Kansas State
- Duke Blue Devils, 41-3 win over NC State
One notable wrinkle in this projection is Duke sneaking in at No. 25.
That would give Miami another ranked opponent on its résumé, and the Blue Devils have done enough to earn that slot. They are not Mississippi State, but the results say they belong in the conversation.
There’s also a practical angle to Duke being in the mix. Miami may still be carrying some of the fatigue from last week’s showdown with Notre Dame, a game that took plenty out of the Hurricanes after months of buildup. A top-25 Duke team could be exactly the kind of jolt that gets Miami back on edge in Week 11.
And then there’s the larger bracket picture. A 24-team playoff would have opened the door to matchups that feel tailor-made for the sport’s most entertaining chaos.
Oklahoma State’s offense against UCLA’s defense. SMU against Texas Tech.
Ole Miss, even after the Georgia loss, still giving Trinidad Chambliss a chance to lead another run with a slightly undermanned Rebels team.
That’s the appeal here: more games, more matchups, more chances for the sport to give fans something they didn’t know they needed.
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