Overrated Teams in First College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings

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The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025 season are out, and they differ a good deal from the latest AP Top 25.

The SEC and Big Ten accounted for the top six spots, seven of the top 10 and 16 of the top 25. The Big 12 appears to be in danger of being a one-bid conference considering its top two teams — No. 7 BYU and No. 8 Texas Tech — play one another this weekend, though No. 13 Utah is on the bubble. The ACC looks to be a one-bid league at the moment; No. 14 Virginia is the conference’s highest-ranked team and therefore the projected champion.

Notably, no Group of 5 teams were included in the initial rankings. Memphis is in the projected bracket as the highest-ranked Group of 5 team and thus the projected American Conference champion ahead of a pivotal game against Tulane this week.

No. 10 Notre Dame would be in the CFP if it started today as the highest-ranked two-loss team. No. 25 Tennessee just barely made the cut as the only three-loss team in the initial rankings.

Below is the full 12-team bracket, via ESPN:

THE FIRST 12-TEAM CFP BRACKET PROJECTION OF THE SEASON‼️

The committee selected Memphis as the best team from the remaining conferences. pic.twitter.com/EU6NCc33Ds

— ESPN (@espn) November 5, 2025

No. 11 Texas and No. 12 Oklahoma are the first two teams out in the current playoff picture. Below is the committee’s complete top 25:

1. Ohio State — 8-0 (5-0 Big Ten)
2. Indiana — 9-0 (6-0 Big Ten)
3. Texas A&M — 9-0 (5-0 SEC)
4. Alabama – 7-1 (5-0 SEC)
5. Georgia — 7-1 (5-1 SEC)
6. Ole Miss — 8-1 (5-1 SEC)
7. BYU – 8-0 (5-0 Big 12)
8. Texas Tech — 8-1 (5-1 Big 12)
9. Oregon – 7-1 (4-1 Big Ten)
10. Notre Dame — 6-2
11. Texas — 7-2 (4-1 SEC)
12. Oklahoma — 7-2 (3-2 SEC)
13. Utah — 7-2 (4-2 Big 12)
14. Virginia — 8-1 (5-0 ACC)
15. Louisville — 7-1 (4-1 ACC)
16. Vanderbilt — 7-2 (3-2 SEC)
17. Georgia Tech — 8-1 (5-1 ACC)
18. Miami — 6-2 (2-2 ACC)
19. USC — 6-2 (4-1 Big Ten)
20. Iowa — 6-2 (4-1 Big Ten)
21. Michigan — 7-2 (5-1 Big Ten)
22. Missouri — 7-2 (2-2 SEC)
23. Washington — 6-2 (3-2 Big Ten)
24. Pittsburgh — 7-2 (5-1 ACC)
25. Tennessee — 6-3 (3-3 SEC)

With the first College Football Playoff rankings out, Athlon identified two teams who have not yet played up to the level of their initial positioning.

No. 20 Iowa

It would appear that the Hawkeyes are getting quite a bit respect for their performance against Indiana. The undefeated, No. 2 Hoosiers’ 20-15 victory at Kinnick Stadium was their only game all season that was decided by one score. But how much weight should that result — a quality loss, so to speak — carry?

Iowa’s best win at the moment was its 41-3 blowout over Minnesota two weeks ago. The Golden Gophers (6-3) are the only team with a winning record the Hawkeyes have beaten. Their next-best victory was likely a 25-24 comeback victory over a wildly disappointing Penn State team. In nonconference play, Iowa also lost to rival Iowa State, 16-13, on the road. Though the Cyclones were ranked No. 16 at the time, they have lost their last four games.

The rest of the Hawkeyes’ schedule provides opportunities to pick up quality wins, starting this week when No. 9 Oregon comes to town. A win over the Ducks would go a long way for Kirk Ferentz’s team, whose struggles against top-25 teams are well-documented. Iowa also has a road trip to No. 19 USC to strengthen its résumé — or play spoiler. But there are teams ranked behind the Hawkeyes that have better wins, like No. 21 Michigan (Washington), No. 23 Washington (Illinois) and even unranked Memphis (South Florida).

No. 24 Pittsburgh

The Panthers must have been pleasantly surprised to hear their name called on Tuesday considering they’ve yet to crack the AP or Coaches poll this season. It’s true that Pitt is one of the hottest teams in the ACC, having won five in a row since true freshman Mason Heintschel took over at quarterback. But there’s also not a signature win in there to hold up.

NC State (5-4) is the only power conference team the Panthers have beaten that has a winning record — Central Michigan (5-4) and FCS Duquesne (5-4) are also above .500. Florida State, which was No. 25 when Pitt won in Tallahassee, is 4-4. Pitt’s 31-24 overtime loss at rival West Virginia (3-6) is arguably the worst loss of any team ranked in the initial top 25. And there’s no shame in a 34-27 loss to Louisville, now ranked No. 15, but that’s a second blemish on the résumé. It’s worth reiterating that both losses came before the quarterback change, but the Panthers’ entire body of work is under scrutiny — not just the last month.

What Pitt lacks in strength of schedule at the moment is sure to change in the next few weeks. After an idle week, the Panthers host No. 10 Notre Dame, play at No. 17 Georgia Tech and then get No. 18 Miami at home in the season finale. That’s more than enough for coach Pat Narduzzi’s team to shoot up the rankings, but Pitt also cannot afford a third disqualifying defeat.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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