With conference championship weekend on the horizon, the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings have added new layers of clarity-and chaos-to the postseason picture. The top of the board remains steady, but just beneath it, the jostling for position has intensified, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for teams hoping to punch their ticket to the 12-team Playoff.
Big Ten: Two Titans, One Title Game, Zero CFP Drama
Ohio State and Indiana remain the class of the country-and the only undefeated teams left standing. The Buckeyes held firm at No. 1, while Indiana locked down the No. 2 spot after dismantling Purdue in emphatic fashion.
With both teams already considered locks for the Playoff, the Big Ten Championship now becomes more about seeding than survival. The winner likely secures a first-round bye, while the loser still heads to the CFP with a slightly tougher road.
It’s a rare high-stakes game with low-stakes consequences-at least when it comes to making the field.
Texas A&M Stumbles, Shake-Up Ensues
The biggest shift in this week’s rankings comes courtesy of Texas A&M’s loss in Austin. The Aggies dropped to No. 7, opening the door for a handful of contenders to leapfrog them. Georgia, Texas Tech, Oregon, and an Ole Miss squad operating without Lane Kiffin all moved ahead in the rankings, reshaping the middle of the top 10 and tightening the race for those coveted first-round matchups.
Behind A&M, Oklahoma and Alabama both climbed, with the Crimson Tide jumping Notre Dame to land at No. 9. The Irish now round out the top 10, clinging to an at-large spot but needing help to avoid a tough opening-round draw.
ACC Chaos: Miami Waits, Duke-Virginia Decides
Miami, currently sitting at No. 12, holds the highest-ranked spot for an ACC team-but it’s not that simple. The Hurricanes are technically the “paper” representative for the conference, but the ACC’s automatic bid will be decided Saturday when Virginia and Duke face off in a title game that few saw coming back in September.
Should Duke pull off the upset, it could shake up the seeding even more. A Duke win might drop the ACC champ to the 12-seed, opening the door for the Group of Six representative-currently No.
20 Tulane-to slide up to No. 11.
Group of Six: Tulane’s Road Runs Through North Texas
Tulane leads the charge for the Group of Six bid and will have a chance to seal the deal in what amounts to a home qualifier against No. 24 North Texas in the AAC Championship.
If they win, they’re in as the 12-seed. But if chaos reigns-say, Duke beats Virginia-Tulane could find itself bumped up a seed line, giving them a slightly more favorable draw in the first round.
Michigan’s Fall: From Contender to Citrus
After a 27-9 loss to Ohio State in The Game, Michigan took a tumble, dropping four spots to No. 19.
That defeat officially eliminated the Wolverines from CFP contention and likely sends them to the Citrus Bowl, where they’re expected to face Texas. It’s a tough pill to swallow for a team that had playoff aspirations just a week ago, but a marquee bowl against a quality opponent isn’t a bad consolation prize.
If the Playoff Started Today…
Here’s how the 12-team bracket would shake out based on the current rankings:
- **No. 20 Tulane (Group of Six) vs.
No. 5 Oregon (at-large)**
Winner faces No. 4 Texas Tech
- **No. 9 Alabama (at-large) vs.
No. 8 Oklahoma (at-large)**
Winner faces No. 1 Ohio State
- **No. 12 Miami (ACC Champion) vs.
No. 6 Ole Miss (at-large)**
Winner faces No. 3 Georgia
- **No. 10 Notre Dame (at-large) vs.
No. 7 Texas A&M (at-large)**
Winner faces No. 2 Indiana
It’s a bracket loaded with heavyweight matchups and intriguing storylines. Alabama-Oklahoma is a clash of blue bloods, while Notre Dame-Texas A&M pits two programs desperate to prove they belong in the elite tier. And don’t sleep on Tulane-if they get through Oregon, they’ll have a shot at Texas Tech in what could be a Cinderella run in the making.
The Official CFP Top 25 (Week of Dec. 3)
- Ohio State
- Indiana
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
- Notre Dame
- BYU
- Miami
- Texas
- Vanderbilt
- Utah
- USC
- Virginia
- Arizona
- Michigan
- Tulane
- Houston
- Georgia Tech
- Iowa
- North Texas
- James Madison
What’s Next
Conference championship weekend will finalize the field, but for now, the pieces are nearly in place. The only thing left is to see who takes care of business-and who blinks under the bright lights.