College Football Playoff Rankings: Full Top 25 & CFP Bracket Revealed by Committee

The first official College Football Playoff rankings were released entering Week 11, with the selection committee revealing the top-25 rankings and the projected CFP bracket if the playoff were today.

The committee ranks the top 25 teams with the five projected conference champions all earning automatic bids, while the committee selects seven teams to earn the at-large bids with the four highest-ranked teams earning first-round byes.

The selection committee will continue to release updated rankings every Tuesday until the playoff bracket is set following conference championship games on Sunday, Dec. 7.

📊 College Football Playoff rankings Week 11: CFP top 25

The first College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. These are the committee's first CFP rankings entering Week 11, with the CFP teams bolded (rankings and CFP seeding differ).

🧩 College Football Playoff bracket projection

Click to download the projected College Football Playoff bracket.

First two out: Texas, Oklahoma

🎯 College Football Playoff teams, projected seeding

🌾 Big Ten

• No. 1 Ohio State (8-0): The reigning national champs have been the No. 1 team in the country since beating Texas in Week 1, and with a Heisman contender at QB (Julian Sayin) and the best defense in the nation, that shouldn't change.
• No. 2 Indiana (9-0): The only team with an argument to be No. 1 over Ohio State is Indiana, but the Hoosiers are still positioned well to earn a bye as the 2-seed thanks to breakout star Fernando Mendoza and a dominant defense.
• No. 9 Oregon (7-1): Despite losing to Indiana at home, Oregon has looked worthy of making the CFP with Dan Lanning's violent defense and QB Dante Moore thriving behind one of the best offensive lines in the country.

🌞 SEC

• No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0): The only undefeated team left in the SEC, Texas A&M is almost guaranteed to be a top-four seed in the rankings going forward with the way Marcel Reed and his loaded wide receiver corps are playing. It helps that Mike Elko's program is loaded in the trenches.
• No. 4 Alabama (7-1): If the Crimson Tide hadn't lost to Florida State in Week 1, they'd be a top-three seed in the initial CFP rankings. With Ty Simpson looking like a first-round pick and a plethora of future pros on both sides, it's hard to imagine 'Bama not getting a bye.
• No. 5 Georgia (7-1): This isn't your slightly older siblings' Bulldogs, with Kirby Smart's defense struggling at times but Gunner Stockton willing UGa's offense to wins to put them in position to reach the CFP yet again. As long as they don't lose more than one game down the stretch, they should be in.
• No. 6 Ole Miss (8-1): Even with all the rumors surrounding Lane Kiffin and other SEC job openings, the Rebels appear to have their best offense under their polarizing head coach due to the emergence of several key transfers like Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy.

🏜️ Big 12

• No. 7 BYU (8-0): BYU decided to start a true freshman QB named Bear (Bachmeier) who plays more like a fullback and wears No. 47. It turns out that perfectly fits Kalani Sitake's team, which has a devastating defense and a trio of NFL-level playmakers on offense.
• No. 8 Texas Tech (8-1): Billionaire Cody Campbell funded Texas Tech's roster, and it's paying off with Joey McGuire's portal class carrying it into position to make the CFP. The Red Raiders need QB Behren Morton to stay healthy and to win against BYU this Saturday.

🌊 ACC

• No. 11 Virginia (8-1): This Virginia team is only in position to make the CFP because the ACC is by far the worst Power Four conference. The Cavs are also lucky their lone loss to NC State was a non-conference game against a conference opponent. I would bet Georgia Tech or Louisville wins the ACC Championship and gets this spot over Virginia (I can't see two ACC teams getting in).

💫 Group of Five

• No. 12 Memphis (8-1): The Group of Five CFP spot will likely go to the American Conference winner with James Madison looking like the only other real contender out of the Sun Belt. While South Florida had all the hype earlier in the season, the Bulls' loss to Memphis gives Ryan Silverfield's team the upper hand - but the American remains open with teams like North Texas and Navy both also only having one loss.

🔮 My College Football Playoff bracket prediction

My College Football Playoff bracket prediction is based on what I think the final bracket will be on selection day (Dec. 7).

❓ College Football Playoff rankings FAQs

When are the College Football Playoff rankings revealed?

The first College Football Playoff rankings were revealed by the committee on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. New rankings will be revealed on every ensuing Tuesday (Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Nov. 25, and Dec. 2) until selection day on Sunday, Dec. 7, when the official CFP bracket will be revealed. 

What teams are in the College Football Playoff rankings?

The College Football Playoff selection committee revealed the first rankings entering Week 11, with the 12 teams in the initial CFP bracket consisting of Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, BYU, Texas Tech, Oregon, Notre Dame, Virginia, and Memphis.

How many teams are in the College Football Playoff rankings?

The College Football Playoff selection committee ranks the top 25 teams in the country; however, just 12 of those teams qualify for the College Football Playoff, and not necessarily the top 12 teams.

The five highest-ranked conference champions make the CFP, and they don't need to be ranked top 12 to do so (this will likely apply to the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion).

How many teams make the College Football Playoff?

The College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams last season, with the top five ranked conference champions automatically qualifying for the CFP. The College Football Playoff selection committee decides the remaining seven at-large bids. 

The four highest-ranked teams will receive a first-round bye in the playoff, with the CFP switching to straight seeding this year.

When does the College Football Playoff start?

The 2025-2026 College Football Playoff begins Friday, Dec. 19, with the first of four first-round games; the other three will be played Saturday, Dec. 20. The quarterfinal games will then be played on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and Thursday, Jan. 1.

The semifinal games will be Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, with the championship game slated for Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.