cfp top 25 – Syndication Server

College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Committee Should Rank The Top 25, Week 2

College Football Playoff rankings – How should the committee rank the next top 25?

The second College Football Playoff rankings of 2022 will come out Tuesday night, November 8th. How should the committee put together the top 25?

The College Football Playoff committee didn’t do a horrible job with the first round of rankings.

There might have been a misfire when it came to the Pac-12 teams – USC was too high, UCLA too low – and there are a few other minor tweaks, but putting Tennessee No. 1 was the right move at the time, and it all was relatively fine from there.

Remember, the College Football Playoff rankings are a snapshot of the moment until the final batch. The committee goes through each spot pick by pick debating the merits of all the teams available, and in the end the top 25 was at least thought out, even if it doesn’t always seem right.

And then it’s all wiped away and everything starts from scratch the next week.

Since the committee obviously doesn’t have the Pac-12 Network and hasn’t actually watched USC’s defense or most of the late night games – I’m joking, of course … sort of – I’ll give everyone a little bit of help.

Go here for what we expect the next round of rankings to be. Here’s how the College Football Playoff committee should put together the top 25.

College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, November 8

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25. UCF Knights (7-2)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 25

The Case For This Spot: The 41-19 win over SMU looks better and better, the win over Cincinnati was great, and getting by Memphis on the road offsets an ugly 34-13 loss to East Carolina a little bit. Don’t worry about this ranking. Beat Tulane this week, go on to win the AAC championship, get a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl.

Win That Matters: UCF 25, Cincinnati 21

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: East Carolina 34, UCF 13

Up Next: at Tulane

24. Liberty Flames (8-1)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: This will be interesting. How much credit does Liberty get for beating Arkansas? Heck, Texas A&M did that, too. The 37-36 loss to Wake Forest is good, and the 41-14 win over BYU is great, but there’s a TON of fluff on the slate to get up to eight wins.

Win That Matters: Liberty 21, Arkansas 19

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Liberty 21, Gardner-Webb 20

Up Next: at UConn

23. Kansas State Wildcats (6-3)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 13

The Case For This Spot: The committee putting Kansas State six spots ahead of Tulane – the Green Wave won 17-10 in Manhattan – was sort of wrong, but that will be changed this week. Losing at TCU isn’t bad, and dropping a date to Texas is okay. Blowouts over Missouri and Oklahoma State are enough to keep the Wildcats from falling too far, but they shouldn’t be in the top 20.

Win That Matters: Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 0

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Tulane 17, Kansas State 10

Up Next: at Baylor

22. Texas Longhorns (6-3)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: 24

The Case For This Spot: Basically, the College Football Playoff committee watched the Alabama game, saw Texas beat Oklahoma 49-0, and it seems like it didn’t notice much else. The Oklahoma State loss a few weeks ago now looks really, really rough, and losing to Texas Tech isn’t okay. However, beating Kansas State should be enough to bump up closer to the top 20. Beat TCU this week, and Texas will prove to be as good as the CFP thinks it is.

Win That Matters: Texas 34, Kansas State 27

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Texas Tech 37, Texas 34

Up Next: TCU

21. Washington Huskies (7-2)

College Football Playoff Ranking, Week 1: Not Ranked

The Case For This Spot: Since the committee proved last week that it doesn’t watch the Pac-12, it might miss that the Huskies have been very, very shaky. However, the win over Oregon State – then ranked 23rd in the CFP – was a good one, losing at UCLA was fine, and beating Michigan State is okay. The loss to Arizona State hurts, but beat Oregon this week, and the ranking shoots up.

Win That Matters: Washington 39, Michigan State 28

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Arizona State 45, Washington 38

Up Next: at Oregon

NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 20

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Where Texas lands in first CFB Playoff rankings

Texas cracks the first college football playoff rankings of the season.

The first College Football Playoff selection committee rankings were released on Tuesday.

Texas checks in at No. 24 in the initial rankings, marking the first time the Longhorns made the cut under head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Four Big 12 Conference teams made the CFP Top 25. No. 7 TCU, No. 13 Kansas State and No. 18 Oklahoma State join No. 24 Texas in the rankings.

The Horns have a tough slate in front of them as matchups against the Wildcats and Horned Frogs loom. The next couple of games can skyrocket Texas up the rankings or end their hopes of a Big 12 title run.

The last time Texas finished the season ranking inside the committee’s top 25 poll was back in 2020 after a 7-3 season and Alamo Bowl victory.

Here is a complete look at the playoff rankings through Week 9 of the college football season.

Here’s the full #CFBPlayoff Top 25 rankings for games played through October 29.

Where does your team rank? pic.twitter.com/BI1KBAcL2Y

— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) November 1, 2022

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College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Committee Should Rank The Top 25

The first batch of College Football Playoff rankings are coming out Tuesday night. How should the committee rank the top 25?

The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2022 will come out Tuesday night, November 1st. How should the committee rank the top 25?

College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, November 2

The College Football Playoff committee will release its first round of rankings on Tuesday night.

It’ll spend the day debating the merits of each of the 25 spots, there will be a few arguments, and the spread of delightful meats, cheeses, and other snacks will be adequate.

I know, because I’ve been through the process in Grapevine, Texas. I know how this works, and I know how this should all go.

And I know that this group could use a little bit of help.

These rankings are meticulous. The committee will debate the merits of the teams that should be in the No. 25 slot, come to an agreement, and then go to 24, then 23, and so on. There’s a proprietary stat system to help the cause, strength of schedule matters, and after all the data and all the facts, this group will still mostly go by the old eye test.

Remember …

1. This is just an exercise. It’s practice, and not really. The College Football Playoff committee is doing this to get up to speed, generate national interest, and provide ESPN some sweet programming candy for those who need a break from the World Series. However, it’s like practicing for a Par 3 hole for some tournament without knowing the distance or configuration needed because …

2. If precedent holds, go unbeaten or 12-1, win your Power 5 championship, and you’re in. The only time that didn’t get you into the CFP was in 2018 when 12-1 Ohio State was left out for 12-0 Notre Dame. No way, no how, no chance an unbeaten Power Five team is left out, so Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, TCU, and Clemson win out and you’re in.

3. There aren’t any rules. The committee can pick anyone it wants to. And …

4. RELAX after these first rankings, and the second version, and the third. All that matters is that final top 25 that comes out after the conference championships.

For now, the goal here is to break down how the committee needs to put together this first batch of rankings. I’ll be fair and go by what they like, which means big wins matter more than losses, and there won’t be enough credit given to a good loss over a strong team.

So here’s how the College Football Playoff committee should put together the top 25 rankings.

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25. UCF Knights (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: The Knights took control of the race to get the New Year’s Six bowl slot as the top Group of Five champion with a great win over Cincinnati. Rolling by Georgia Tech helps, and the loss to Louisville isn’t that bad. The East Carolina loss will bring down the ranking.

Win That Matters: UCF 25, Cincinnati 21

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: East Carolina 34, UCF 13

Up Next: at Memphis

24. Liberty Flames (7-1)

The Case For This Spot: The only loss was in a 37-36 fight at Wake Forest. There isn’t a win over a Power Five program, and there aren’t many great victories over anyone who’ll do much on the bowl scene, but 7-1 at this point is 7-1.

Win That Matters: Liberty 41, BYU 14

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Liberty 21, Gardner-Webb 20

Up Next: at Arkansas

23. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: The great battle in the 51-45 win over Clemson will do the job for the committee’s eye test, but the turnover-fest loss to Louisville last week was a killer. Beating Florida State matters, and giving Liberty its only loss is a big deal.

Win That Matters: Wake Forest 31, Florida State 21

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Louisville 48, Wake Forest 21

Up Next: at NC State

22. NC State Wolfpack (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: The losses to Clemson and Syracuse were acceptable in the ACC big picture, and the wins over Florida State and Texas Tech will be just enough to put the Pack safely in the top 25. However, there are too many close call wins over mediocre teams.

Win That Matters: NC State 19, Florida State 17

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Syracuse 24, NC State 9

Up Next: Wake Forest

21. Syracuse Orange (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: The Orange might struggle to push for the top 20 with a slew of injuries – that matters to the committee – but a blowout win over Louisville and victories over NC State and Purdue were strong. The close fight against Clemson will be a boost.

Win That Matters: Syracuse 24, NC State 9

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Notre Dame 41, Syracuse 24

Up Next: at Pitt

NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, Top 20

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College Football Playoff Expansion: How 12-Team Format Would’ve Worked This Year

How would an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff have worked this year?

The College Football Playoff rankings are out. How would they have worked in an expanded 12-team format?

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Unfortunately, the College Football Playoff expansion talks have stalled.

They really did come up with a good format idea.

12 teams. Top six conference champions automatically get in, top four conference champs get a bye, and then the seeds would follow from there with the higher-ranked seeds getting the home field advantage in the first round.

So it would be …

College Football Playoff Expansion Proposal Top Would Be …

These four would get first round byes

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (1)

2. Michigan Wolverines 12-1 (2)

3. Cincinnati Bearcats 13-0 (4)

4. Baylor Bears 11-2 (7)

College Football Playoff Expansion Proposal 5-12 Matchups Would Be …

12. Pitt Panthers 11-2 (12) at

5. Georgia Bulldogs 12-1 (3)

– College Football Playoff Rankings: Final

11. Utah Utes 10-3 (11) at

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 11-1 (5)

– Final Regular Season Rankings AP | Coaches

10. Michigan State Spartans 10-2 (10) at

7. Ohio State Buckeyes 10-2 (6)

– CFN Rankings: 1-130 & by conference

9. Oklahoma State Cowboys 11-2 (5) at

8. Ole Miss Rebels 10-2 (8)

Who’d get sort of hosed? Who’d just miss out?

CFP 13. BYU Cougars 10-2

CFP 14. Oregon Ducks 10-3 (8)

CFP 16. Oklahoma Sooners 10-2 (12)

18. NC State Wolfpack 9-3 (18)

17. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 10-3 (16

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– CFN Rankings: 1-130 & by conference
– College Football Playoff Rankings: Final

College Football Playoff Rankings: Final Top 25

College Football Playoff rankings. The final 2021 top 25 along with the four teams off to the playoff.

The final College Football Playoff rankings for the 2021 season. The top 25 along with the four teams in the CFP.

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College Football Playoff Rankings: Final Top 25

25. Texas A&M Aggies 8-4 (23)

24. San Diego State Aztecs 11-2 (19)

23. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 12-1 (NR)

22. Kentucky Wildcats 9-3 (23)

21. Arkansas Razorbacks 8-4 (22)

– Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY rankings

20. Houston Cougars 11-2 (21)

19. Clemson Tigers 9-3 (20

18. NC State Wolfpack 9-3 (18)

17. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 10-3 (16)

16. Oklahoma Sooners 10-2 (12)

– AP Top 25 rankings

15. Iowa Hawkeyes 10-3 (14)

14. Oregon Ducks 10-3 (8)

13. BYU Cougars 10-2 (13)

12. Pitt Panthers 11-2 (15)

11. Utah Utes 10-3 (17)

– CFN Rankings: 1-130 & by conference

10. Michigan State Spartans 10-2 (11)

9. Oklahoma State Cowboys 11-2 (5)

8. Ole Miss Rebels 10-2 (8)

7. Baylor Bears 11-2 (9)

6. Ohio State Buckeyes 10-2 (7)

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 11-1 (6)

4. Cincinnati Bearcats 13-0 (4)

3. Georgia Bulldogs 12-1 (1)

2. Michigan Wolverines 12-1 (2)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 12-1 (3)

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Coaches Poll College Football Rankings
All-Time Coaches Poll Rankings | AP All-Time Rankings

College Football Playoff Rankings: Helping The Committee With The Top 25

The first batch of College Football Playoff rankings are coming out Tuesday night. How should the committee rank the top 25?

The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2021 will come out Tuesday night, November 2nd. How should the committee rank the top 25?

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College Football Playoff: Helping The Committee With The Top 25
Top 4 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20
Predicting the first CFP Top 25
College Football Playoff Chase: Who’s alive?

The College Football Playoff rankings season is finally here.

The committee will get together, there will be snacks, they’ll do what they do – all without the slightest bit of transparency – and then the top 25 will be unveiled.

Finally, these are the rankings that matter … sort of. This is all just a fun exercise until the final College Football Playoff rankings come out right after the conference championships.

I’ve been in the room in Grapevine, Texas, I’ve been through the process, and I’ve worked with this operation and know how this group makes the sausage. For all the criticism, and hollering, and anger from the fan bases, start with this …

The process is meticulous, and everyone is 100% totally sincere in trying to create the best ranking possible.

This isn’t like the other ranking systems that are thrown together on a late Saturday night. The committee debates and discusses each and every one of the spots, starting at 25 all the way down to No. 1. There will be mistakes, and there will be inconsistencies, but at the very least there’s a rationale behind every slot.

No, there is no agenda like some think there is. They legitimately want the four best teams in the College Football Playoff, no matter what.

Now, is this silly that college football bases its playoff system on the whims of a panel of judges? Of course. But for now, this is what we’ve got.

I’m going to tell the College Football Playoff committee what the top 25 should be – by the way, it’s beyond ridiculous that there’s no media member or someone who follows college football for a living on the panel.

Before getting going and before these come out for real, remember …

1. These rankings are just a snapshot. They’re thrown out and done all over again next week.

2. There aren’t any rules. The committee can pick anyone it wants to. And …

3. And I can’t stress this enough, DON’T GET INTO A TWIST over the rankings. Again, wait until the entire season is done. At that point the committee cares about two things – did you win your Power Five conference championship, and did you do it with no more than one loss? That’s the baseline for everything else.

These isn’t the prediction and projection of the first round of College Football Playoff rankings – that’s this. This is me telling the committee what to do – no, this group hasn’t seen all the teams and all the games because they have real lives and jobs that actually matter.

I do, however, try to keep this within the framework of how the commitee rolls. It LOVES big wins, and while it doesn’t punish losses to great teams, it doesn’t give enough credit to Team A for playing Alabama on the same day that Team B played Central Cupcake Tech.

One last thing – the committee uses its own proprietary stat system. Other rankings and other metrics don’t exist in their world.

So if I may be so forward, College Football Playoff committee, this is what your first top 25 should be.

College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done, November 2

25. Pitt Panthers (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: There actually isn’t anything that great to point to, and the 44-41 loss to Western Michigan is an anchor, but there’s something to be said for being the first team since 2014 Georgia Tech to beat Clemson by double-digits in the regular season.

The Panthers also won at Tennessee, and the wins at Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech are good enough to matter.

Win That Matters: Pitt 27, Clemson 17

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Western Michigan 44, Pitt 41

Up Next: at Duke

24. Houston Cougars (7-1)

The Case For This Spot: Here’s the deal I’ll make with you, College Football Playoff committee. I’ll indulge your love of rewarding teams with one big win – Houston just handed SMU its first loss of the season – if you’ll at least listen to my argument about 17, 19, and 20.

The Cougars lost to Texas Tech by 17 and haven’t beaten anyone other than an SMU team that beat absolutely no one other than a bad TCU.

Win That Matters: Houston 44, SMU 37

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Texas Tech 38, Houston 21

Up Next: at USF

23. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)

The Case For This Spot: There’s enough there with wins over Iowa State and Maryland on the road and the home victory over Penn State to put the Hawkeyes somewhere in the top 25.

However, the offense is bad when the defense isn’t taking the ball away, and losing to Purdue and Wisconsin by a combined score of 51-14 over the last two weeks is the sort of trend-down thing the committee doesn’t dig.

Win That Matters: Iowa 23, Penn State 20

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Purdue 24, Iowa 7

Up Next: at Northwestern

22. Wisconsin Badgers (5-3)

The Case For This Spot: The Badger offense has been BRUTAL at times, but the committee is going to give credit to the nation’s No. 1 defense – at least statistically – against, technically, one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

The losses to Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State will be slightly forgivable, and the wins over Army, Purdue, and Iowa will trend the team up just enough that it should slip into the top 25.

Win That Matters: Wisconsin 27, Iowa 7

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Penn State 16, Wisconsin 10

Up Next: at Rutgers

21. Fresno State Bulldogs (7-2)

The Case For This Spot: This is my ultra-pretentious How Much Does The College Football Playoff Committee Actually Know test, Part 1

Fresno State lost at Hawaii – which in and of itself is always a quirky road game, finishing about 3 am ET – but it was way banged up before getting a two-week break. The other loss? At Oregon 31-24.

That loss, though, to the Rainbow Warriors with a backup quarterback is enough to put Fresno State a bit lower. However, it just handed San Diego State its first loss of the season, and it beat a fabulous Nevada team the week before that. Throw in the win over UCLA on the road, and this is a sneaky-good top 20ish team.

Win That Matters: Fresno State 30, San Diego State 20

Loss (or bad performance) That Matters: Hawaii 27, Fresno State 24

Up Next: Boise State

NEXT: College Football Playoff Rankings: How The Top 25 Should Be Done – Top 20

Pages: 12345

College Football Playoff Rankings: Projecting All 28 Teams 2014-2020

28 teams that made the four-team tournament in the College Football Playoff era. How would the committee probably rank them all?

28 teams that made the four-team tournament in the College Football Playoff era. How would the committee probably rank them all?

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Photo Credits: (Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Deshaun Watson) John David Mercer, (Tua Tagovailoa) Randy Sartin, (Ian Book) Matt Cashore, (Baker Mayfield) Tim Heitman, (Trevor Lawrence) Kyle Terada, (Urban Meyer) Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Now that we know how the College Football Playoff committee has gone through its process through the first seven years of this grand experiment, what if we took all the precedents and thoughts and applied them to all 28 teams that made it into the tournament?

There’s obviously a reason why some teams are ranked where they were in a given season, but the criteria has changed a wee bit here and there – the CFP really likes the four best teams belief – so there’s some adjusting to do.

So let’s say the committee had to seed all 28 teams from 2014 to 2020. How would it rank them?

One key note: pretend we don’t know what actually happens in any of the playoffs. Forget about the results, as amazing or ugly as they might have been. This is strictly going on the merits of each team at the end of each regular season.

One other rule – this goes by what the committee did in each year. So 2020 Ohio State – ranked third in the final CFP ranking – has to be ranked ahead of 2020 Notre Dame, who was ranked fourth.

Again, this is our projection of what this would be. This isn’t from the College Football Playoff.

The all-time College Football Playoff top 28 would be (again, remember, we don’t know how this all turns out in each of the respective College Football Playoffs) …

The (#) after each team is the final College Football Playoff ranking in a given year.

28. 2020 Notre Dame (10-1)

The Case For: The Fighting Irish got to the ACC Championship at 10-0 with a win over then-unbeaten (2) Clemson as – technically – the strongest regular season win by anyone e in the 2020 regular season.

That was good, but the 31-17 win on the road over a tough (13) North Carolina team helped to just enough to overcome several issues. There weren’t too many other amazing wins, there were a whole bunch of victories over soft teams, and …

The Case Against: Clemson 34, Notre Dame 10. Clemson was without star QB Trevor Lawrence – although, his fill-in, DJ Uiagalelei, was fantastic – and were beaten up on the defensive front in the loss to the Irish, but everything worked just fine in the ACC Championship. The Irish looked totally outclassed in, arguably, the worst loss by any team to make it into the College Football Playoff.

Final Decision: There are teams that didn’t win their own divisions that still make this list, but no team had lost its conference championship and got the call. The overall body of work is fine, but there were just four wins over teams that finished with winning records, and that ACC Championship was ugly.

27. 2020 Ohio State (6-0)

The Case For: In a tough year with nothing normal and everything trying just to keep the car on the road, Ohio State turned out to be one of just two Power Five teams to go unbeaten and win a conference championship.

Even with a slew of missing players at various times, and despite being without key parts late in the season, the Buckeyes still won’t the Big Ten title, handed (11) Indiana its only loss, and …

The Case Against: The six-win schedule is way light, and it took a special ruling by the Big Ten just to get the team into the Big Ten Championship. Yes, the team had a whole lot of issues with health, but it still didn’t look all that great against a totally mediocre slate. The wins over IU and (14) Northwestern were the only two against teams that finished with a winning record.

Final Decision: 2020 was such a rough year, this is about giving a super-talented team a break, even with only six wins and none of them all that great. In the end, the Buckeyes were an unbeaten Power Five champion no matter how rocky things looked. The precedent when it comes to the 0 in the loss column holds.

26. 2016 Washington (12-1)

The Case For: The Pac-12 Championship meant just about everything to the Huskies’ case. They didn’t just beat Colorado (10), they brought a 41-10 stomping.

The Huskies looked like the real deal on both sides of the ball for most of the year, destroying Christian McCaffrey and Stanford (18) 44-6, and rolling through Utah (19) on the road.

The Case Against: The resumé stinks. The Pac-12 was awful in 2016, and the UW non-conference schedule was worse, facing Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State. The hottest team going was USC (9), and Washington didn’t just lose, it lost at home 26-13.

Final Decision: The speed and talent are there, but the resumé wins aren’t. There wasn’t anything in non-conference play to get excited about.

Okay, What Happened? College Football Playoff Results: (1) Alabama 24, (4) Washington 7 (semifinal)

25. 2017 Alabama (11-1)

The Case For: There’s a whole lot of talent on both sides of the ball. When it was focused and rose up from time to time – like against Ole Miss in a 66-3 win – it was fantastic.

The Crimson Tide ended up beating six bowl teams including LSU (17) and Mississippi State (23). Crushing Fresno State 41-10 turned out to be a far better than it looked at the time.

The Case Against: Where were the big wins? The Crimson Tide struggled against a mediocre Texas A&M, it was just okay against LSU and Mississippi State, and while beating Florida State was good, that turned out to be a way overrated Seminole squad. Throw in the double-digit loss to Auburn – the one good team on the slate – and there’s nothing here.

And, of course, there’s the huge problem of not winning a division or a conference championship in a down year for the SEC – Auburn won the West and Georgia won the conference.

Final Decision: On talent and reputation, the Crimson Tide could hang with anyone, and they could certainly get hot and win two games against anyone on this list. But based on eye test and resumé, this team is just okay compared to some of Nick Saban’s juggernauts.

Okay, What Happened? College Football Playoff Results: (4) Alabama 24, (1) Clemson 6 (semifinal); (4) Alabama 26, (3) Georgia 23 (OT) (National Championship)

All-Time College Football Playoff Top 28 Projection
1-4 | 5-8 | 9-12 | 13-16 | 17-20 | 21-24

NEXT: College Football Playoff All-Time Projection: Top 24

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College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings: Who Made The Top 4?

The final 2020 College Football Playoff rankings. Who’s No. 4? Who’s in the CFP?

The final 2020 College Football Playoff rankings. Who’s No. 4? Who’s in the CFP?

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Rest of the top 25 to come as it’s released.

6. Oklahoma Sooners 9-2 (10)

5. Texas A&M Aggies 8-1 (5)

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-1 (2

3. Ohio State Buckeyes 6-0 (4)

2. Clemson Tigers 10-1 (3)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 11-0 (1)

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College Football Playoff Rankings Projection, Final Top 25 Prediction

What will the College Football Playoff rankings be on Sunday? Here’s the final projection and top 25 prediction.

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What will the College Football Playoff rankings be on Sunday? Here’s the best guess.

Okay, so we’re here. It’s top for the College Football Playoff final top 25 rankings to come out, and it’s time to finally know who gets to play in the big four-team tournament. The best projection and top 25 prediction is …

25. NC State Wolfpack 8-3 (22)

The eight wins stand out. It was the only team to beat Liberty, it hung tough with Miami, and it ended up being one of the five or six beat teams in the ACC.

24. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 6-2 (23)

The 27-24 loss to Cincinnati should be enough to earn more respect than this, but the loss to Oklahoma State to start the season will be what keeps the Golden Hurricane down this far. It was still a magnificent year.

23. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-3 (21)

The Cowboys died down the stretch … sort of. They lost three of their last six games and beat up the Big 12’s bad teams, but they won’t bounce out of the top 25 after being firmly in it the week before.

22. Texas Longhorns 6-3 (20)

Texas deserves a better ranking than this. The loss at home to TCU hurts, but the other losses were to Oklahoma and Iowa State, and all three defeats were this close to going the other way.

21. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 9-1 (19)

Louisiana gets the shaft in all of this. It beat Iowa State, the one loss is to unbeaten Coastal Carolina, and there wasn’t a chance to prove that it might actually be the Sun Belt’s best team with the rematch with the Chanticleers called off.

20. USC Trojans 5-1 (13)

There weren’t any great wins, and the loss to Oregon was devastating. Had USC won in a blowout in the Pac-12 Championship, it would’ve had an interesting case for the fourth spot considering ow everything shook out.

19. Oregon Ducks 4-2 (NR)

This will tidy everything up. The losses to Oregon and Oregon State won’t exactly be brushed aside, but what amounted to a road win at USC for the Pac-12 champion will move the Ducks up hither than the Trojans to make it all easy to put everything in order.

18. Miami Hurricanes 8-2 (18)

This might be a little low. The blowout loss to North Carolina still hurts, but wins over NC State and Pitt are solid, and the 31-14 victory over Conference USA champion UAB looks a lot better now.

17. BYU Cougars 9-1 (17)

The Cougars are off to the Boca Raton Bowl to face UCF after a very fun and very exciting season. There aren’t a ton of massive wins, but there are enough good ones to be ranked a bit higher than this. It doesn’t matter – the Cougars are already settled into a bowl game.

16. Iowa Hawkeyes 6-2 (16)

The losses to Purdue and Northwestern happened to start the season, but a six-game winning streak to close things out was impressive. However, there wasn’t a win over anyone with a winning regular-season record. Even so, there were enough good victories to be in the top 16.

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15. North Carolina Tar Heels 8-3 (15)

The Tar Heels were impressive enough against Miami last week to hang around the top 15, and the loss to Notre Dame wasn’t awful. The losses to Florida State and Virginia might push the Tar Heels lower, but nothing much happened to knock the team down too much.

14. San Jose State Spartans 7-0 (24)

Call this a wish ranking, because it’s the right thing to do. San Jose State not only went unbeaten with a Mountain West Championship, but it won all seven games by double-digit. Beating Nevada and Boise State should help earn the Spartans top 15 consideration.

13. Northwestern Wildcats 6-2 (14)

The Cats fought the good fight in the Big Ten Championship loss to Ohio State, and the win over Iowa now looks terrific, but the loss to Michigan State stings. It was a terrific season to get to the second Big Ten title game in three years.

12. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 11-0 (12)

The committee still won’t get this right. It should put one-loss Louisiana ahead of Iowa State – the Ragin’ Cajuns beat the Cyclones – but it’ll get the unbeaten Chanticleers up higher since it’s the one team that beat the team that beat the team. There will be some call that they should be in the top ten, but being this high will be terrific.

11. Indiana Hoosiers 6-1 (11)

It’s going to be one of the biggest drama aspects of the rankings – will Indiana get ahead of Iowa State to be in the New Year’s Six? There’s no fantastic win, but there also aren’t the three losses like the Cyclones have.

NEXT: College Football Playoff Final Projection, Top 25 Prediction

Pages: 12

College Football Playoff Top 25: Penultimate Rankings. Who’s Sneaking Up?

The results from the penultimate round of the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, released December 15th.

The results from the penultimate round of the College Football Playoff top 25 rankings, released December 15th.

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25. Colorado Buffaloes 4-1 (NR)

24. San Jose State Spartans 6-0 (NR)

23. Tulsa Golden Hurricane 5-1 (24)

22. NC State Wolfpack 8-3 (23)

21. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-3 (24)

20. Texas Longhorns 6-3 (20)

19. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 9-1 (19)

18. Miami Hurricanes 8-2 (10)

17. BYU Cougars 9-1 (18)

16. Iowa Hawkeyes 6-2 (16)

15. North Carolina Tar Heels 8-3 (17)

14. Northwestern Wildcats 6-1 (14)

13. USC Trojans 5-0 (15)

12. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 11-0 (13)

11. Indiana Hoosiers 6-1 (12)

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10. Oklahoma Sooners 8-2 (11)

9. Cincinnati Bearcats 8-0 (8)

8. Georgia Bulldogs 7-2 (9)

7. Florida Gators 8-1 (6)

6. Iowa State Cyclones 8-2 (7)

5. Texas A&M Aggies 7-1 (5)

4. Ohio State Buckeyes 5-0 (4)

3. Clemson Tigers 9-1 (3)

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-0 (2)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide 10-0 (1)

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