College Football Playoff Rankings Report: Edition #3

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We are another week closer to the College Football Playoff 12-team bracket being revealed! With two weeks left in the regular season, the projected field is starting to become clearer. This week featured the shocking near-upset of Texas A&M, but Alabama took the biggest drop after falling to Oklahoma in a thriller. Meanwhile, the top two teams (you already know who they are) continued to roll and held down the top two spots. Here is a look at all 25 teams and the projected bracket in the third edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings Report!

CFP Top 25 Rankings

1. Ohio State (10–0) continued to roll, dominating the UCLA Bruins 48-10 in all three phases, which included a blocked punt and their first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2010. Next up for them: our very own Rutgers Scarlet Knights, before the Buckeyes look to snap their four-game losing streak to hated Michigan next Saturday.

2. Indiana (11–0) shook off the stress of their last matchup with a 31-7 win over Wisconsin. The Badgers hung tough, trailing 10-7 at halftime, but the Hoosiers scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to cruise to victory. IU has its second bye before its in-state rivalry game against hapless Purdue.

3. Texas A&M (10–0) pulled off a huge comeback, erasing a large halftime deficit to beat unranked South Carolina, 31–30. It truly was a tale of two halves, as the Gamecocks looked completely dominant in the first half, but Marcel Reed flushed his two interceptions and a lost fumble for a touchdown by engineering four unanswered scoring drives. Making the comeback more impressive is that A&M gained the lead with nearly eleven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after trailing 30-3 at halftime! Next week should be a stress-free test against Samford before the Aggies head to Austin to battle the Longhorns on Rivalry Weekend.

4. Georgia (9–1) made a statement against Texas, with the game appearing frozen at 14-3 UGA for about a quarter and a half. Arch Manning finally found the end zone in the middle of the third quarter, but the Bulldogs scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns for a 35-10 win. With Alabama’s loss, Georgia moves into second in the SEC as it looks to punch a ticket to the conference championship game in the friendly confines of Atlanta.

5. Texas Tech (10–1) continues to be a wagon, following up their statement win over BYU with a 48-9 win over UCF. The Red Raiders will conclude the regular season in Morgantown against the Mountaineers before heading to the Big 12 Championship Game, likely facing the Cougars in a rematch. If Tech can hold down the fifth seed, they will be in a favorable position for the playoffs, opening with the highest-ranked Group of Five team at home.

6. Ole Miss (10–1) survived a tougher test against Florida than many anticipated, especially considering both Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy (31 carries, 224 yards, 3 touchdowns) had great games. Yet the biggest focus around the Rebels is whether Lane Kiffin is going anywhere, with reports circulating that multiple Kiffin family members took visits to both Florida and LSU in recent days.

7. Oregon (9–1) followed up an 18-16 escape at Kinnick Stadium with a 42-13 romp over Minnesota on Friday night. Dante Moore was nearly perfect, going 27-30 with 306 yards and two touchdowns, while Kenyon Sadiq had eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. The Ducks are set to host #15 USC before wrapping the season with their Pacific Northwest rivals in Washington.

8. Oklahoma (8–2) upset Alabama 23-21 at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday to officially enter the playoff picture. Despite John Mateer mustering just 161 total yards and only 138 passing yards, Oklahoma’s defense came up with three turnovers that resulted in 17 points, including an 87-yard interception return touchdown in the first quarter. OU can secure a playoff spot by defeating Missouri and LSU, both of which will visit Norman.

9. Notre Dame (8–2) spoiled another playoff bid, taking all the air out of Pittsburgh’s now 7-3 record with a 37-15 blowout at Acrisure Stadium. Despite CJ Carr throwing two interceptions, Jeremiyah Love had another solid game with 147 rushing yards and a touchdown. The schedule gets much easier with Syracuse and Stanford to finish the regular season, and the Fighting Irish should be well-positioned for December football despite having no conference championship game for a possible eleventh win.

10. Alabama (8–2) suffered its second loss of the season and first since the opener against Florida State way back in August. The Crimson Tide is still holding on to a playoff spot, but they are now slotted to play a road game at Autzen Stadium against the Ducks as the 10-seed (and final at-large team). Alabama gets Eastern Illinois before traveling to Auburn for an Iron Bowl under the lights.

11. BYU (9–1) is just outside the playoff picture, as it rebounded from a 29-7 loss to Texas Tech by blowing out TCU 44-13. The Cougars are back on the road this week with a must-win game at Cincinnati, which will have Big Noon Kickoff in attendance despite the game kicking off at 8 PM on FOX. BYU will need to win out and receive some help to get back into the field, as two losses to Texas Tech would likely not do the job unless someone slips.

12. Utah (8–2) is right behind its in-state rival with its third straight dominant victory, this time taking down Baylor 55-28. The Utes play both Kansas schools in the final two weeks, hosting the Wildcats this week before traveling to the Jayhawks to end the regular season. Like BYU, they will need to win out and get some help to make the playoff, likely needing to at least make the Big 12 Championship game if not outright win it.

13. Miami (8–2) gets the projected ACC bid as the highest-ranked team in the conference. However, the Hurricanes have an uphill battle to make the playoffs, as they are still fifth in the conference standings. Miami must win against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh and get some help to make the ACC Championship game to keep their postseason hopes alive.

14.Vanderbilt (8-2) is set to come out of their bye by hosting Kentucky, which has quietly won three straight, two against SEC foes and last week against previously undefeated Tennessee Tech. The Commodores are still long shots for the CFP, but may have a case if they defeat the Wildcats and Volunteers and improve to ten wins.

15. USC (8–2) rallied back from a 21-10 halftime deficit by scoring all the points in the second half and taking down Iowa 26-21 on a rainy day in Southern California. The Trojans are way back in the playoff race right now, but a win over Oregon this week should move them over the Ducks and into the field.

16. Georgia Tech (9–1) survived quite the upset scare against 1-10 Boston College as the Yellow Jackets escaped Chestnut Hill with a 36-34 victory. BC went up 28-17 entering the fourth quarter, but was unable to hold on as the Jackets scored a field goal and two touchdowns before answering a late Boston College touchdown with the game-winning field goal. Georgia Tech is still atop the ACC standings, but it will need to defeat Pitt to hold onto an ACC Championship game spot. The anticipated season finale against Georgia is also now on the horizon.

17. Texas (7-3) suffered a back-breaking third loss with an ugly 35-10 final score against Georgia, which booted them out of the playoff field and likely for good. The Longhorns narrowed the deficit to 14-10 in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs ballooned the score, causing Texas to need to defeat Arkansas and #3 Texas A&M to have even an outside shot at the College Football Playoff.

18. Michigan (8–2) continues to win ugly, following their 21-16 win over Purdue with a 24-22 topping of Northwestern. The Wolverines overcame two Bryce Underwood interceptions and two missed field goals from Dominic Zvada with a standout game from Jordan Marshall on the ground (142 yards and two touchdowns). Andrew Marsh also had 189 receiving yards on twelve receptions, and the Wolverines capitalized on their final chance with a Zvada game-winner. Michigan next visits Maryland with The Game looming against Ohio State.

19. Virginia (9–2) took care of business, doubling up Duke 34-17 to improve to 9-2. With both the Cavaliers and Yellow Jackets sitting at 6-1 in the ACC, both are primed for the chance to compete for an automatic CFP bid in the ACC Championship game. Virginia will have its second bye week ahead of the season finale against Virginia Tech, which made a splash by hiring James Franklin as its next head coach.

20. Tennessee (7–3) enjoyed “SEC Cupcake Week” one week early, defeating New Mexico State 42-9, but now returns to conference play with a visit to The Swamp to take on Florida. The Volunteers’ playoff hopes are dead, but they can earn the chance to get to ten wins in an upper-tier bowl game by defeating Florida and Vanderbilt.

20. Illinois (7–3) handled Maryland 24-6, with the Terrapins unable to find the end zone even a single time. Although the Illini lost too many times to have their anticipated dream season, they can also aim for a ten-win season, with Wisconsin and Northwestern on tap to end the year.

21. Missouri (7–3) responded to their 38-17 defeat at the hands of the Aggies with a 49-27 win over Mississippi State. Ahmad Hardy had an eye-popping 300-yard, three-touchdown game, averaging 12 yards a carry as the Tigers took the ball out of freshman quarterback Matt Zollers’ hands. Mizzou will visit the #8 Sooners this weekend before ending the year on the road at Arkansas, which might be the best 2-8 team I have ever seen.

22. Houston (8–2) returned to the win column after being upset by West Virginia by defeating UCF 30-27. While a soft strength of schedule and a damaging loss rule out the Cougars from serious CFP consideration, their lofty record keeps them in the Top 25, and Houston can push for ten regular-season wins with TCU and Baylor remaining on the season.

23. Tulane (8–2) entered the CFP bracket for the first time, moving up to #23 with an 8-2 record (5-1 American). South Florida and Memphis may have sealed their fate with their third losses of the season, but 9-1 North Texas and James Madison both have better records and losses than the Green Wave. Tulane has two Power Four wins over Northwestern and Duke, but was blown out by Ole Miss and, more notably, UTSA.

24. Cincinnati (7–3) lost its second straight game to Arizona, which put the final dent in its long-shot hopes to return to the CFP. It has the chance to rebound with #11 BYU heading to Nippert Stadium for a high-profile showdown before the Bearcats visit the Horned Frogs to end the season.

25. Arizona State (7–3) topped West Virginia 25-23 and returned to the rankings, where they have been popping in and out of all season. The Sun Devils will next face Colorado in Boulder before ending the season against Arizona. ASU defeated Texas Tech, but fell to Mississippi State and Houston while being blown out 42-10 against Utah.

Projected Bracket

The projected bracket features some spicy first-round matchups, with Group of Five representative Tulane visiting Texas Tech, Notre Dame visiting Oklahoma, Miami visiting Ole Miss, and Alabama visiting Oregon. The top three seeds remain unchanged, with Georgia taking the fourth spot and earning the final first-round bye.

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