The First CFP Rankings Are Here: What the Committee Got Right (and Wrong)

by Kobey Ronk, November 07, 2025

Source: AP Photo

The top 4-Rated Correctly

The top 4 seeds of the first CFP rankings are something the committee got 100% right. As an Indiana fan, I personally think we should be #1. I’m not delusional though, Ohio State being #1 makes the most sense. Indiana being #2 comes from 2 factors.

• The BIG10 has won back to back College Football National Championships. They have proven to be the premier conference currently (no matter what Paul Finebaum).
• Indiana has blown teams out of the water. Texas A&M’s schedule hasn’t been the hardest besides Notre Dame and going into Death Valley at night. With one score wins against Auburn and Arkansas, they aren’t as convincing as Indiana.

Finally, the most controversial one, Alabama at #4. To me this isn’t even that controversial, but to others, they can debate all day. Seeds 4-6 all follow in sync. Ole Miss lost to Georgia, and Georgia lost to Alabama. Alabama’s loss to FSU at the beginning wasn’t ideal, but now they look unstoppable. Their hardest game left is home against Oklahoma. If they can pull off the predictable, the only thing in their way from playing A&M in Atlanta is the Iron Bowl.

The Middle of the Pack

Georgia gets the spot over Ole MIss because Georgia handed them a loss earlier in the season. This is not to discredit the Bulldogs either, they’ve had a tough schedule. Beating Tennessee in Rocky Top and #5 Ole Miss at home is no cakewalk. They still have a big time game against Texas. Ole Miss has had some tough games this season as well. With the rumors circling around Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss is looking to make it to the playoff to persuade him to stay. Ole Miss however is benefiting from conference bias being at #6, and let me explain why.

BYU and Texas Tech not being ranked over Ole Miss is SEC bias at its finest, plain and simple. Whoever wins this weekend out of those two deserves that #6 spot without question. It’s do or die for Texas Tech, already having one loss to Arizona State earlier in the season. If Tech wins, they’ll have an easy route to the Big 12 title game with plenty of momentum and a chance to prove themselves on a national stage. If BYU wins, they stay undefeated and keep control of their own destiny with an easy chance of winning the Big 12 outright. An undefeated Big 12 Champion should absolutely take the #4 playoff spot away from a 2-loss SEC team that only benefits from conference reputation. If Texas A&M goes undefeated and loses in the title game, the spot should still go to BYU. Conference politics are always a factor in college football, but it shouldn’t outweigh actual performance on the field.

End of the Road

There’s one outlier in the last few qualifying seeds, and that’s Notre Dame. What started off as a rocky start, is now turning into a comeback that could catapult them into the playoff. Yes, we all know they benefit from being independent. At this point, you can’t hate on them for rubbing it in our faces. It benefits them every year, and most of the time they’re good enough to get in anyways. If Notre Dame wins out, we can expect them in the first round of the playoff.

As of Today Oregon has 3 ranked games left. If they win convincingly to end the season, they will be the 3rd and probably last BIG10 team in the playoff. The BIG10 is top heavy, but the bottom does not play out. If Penn State hadn’t collapsed, we could be seeing 4 teams. I don;t care what Dave Portnoy says, Michigan is not getting in.

They have Texas and Oklahoma being the first 2 out, understandable. They are projecting Virginia to be the fourth highest ranked conference champion as the #11 seed on the NCAA website.Georgia Tech losing gave them a huge advantage. Is Georgia Tech the better team, probably, but here’s Georgia Tech’s remaining schedule:

• @Boston College
• Home against #24 Pitt. Who’s also competing for a spot in the conference championship.
• Home against #5 Georgia. Ouch

If Georgia Tech would have won this weekend against NC State, their eyes on the championship and playoffs were much easier. Now, it’s do or die for the yellow jackets. They essentially handed Virginia a spot in the ACC championship and potentially the CFP.

The first CFP rankings delivered plenty of debate, but overall the committee got the top four right. The Big Ten remains dominant, while SEC favoritism still clouds mid-tier rankings. The BIG12 deserves more respect, Notre Dame’s resurgence, Oregon’s potential finish, and the race for the ACC could reshape the playoff picture ahead.