The College Football Playoff rankings continued to shuffle as Alabama edged Notre Dame, with Miami and Texas nipping at the top-10 margins. Notre Dame fell to No. 10, two spots ahead of Miami at No. 12, while Texas jumped three places to No. 13 on Tuesday night, marking the penultimate CFP release before conference championship weekend.
Going into the final weekend of the regular season, Ohio State sits at No. 1 and Indiana at No. 2. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers face off in the Big Ten Championship Game this Saturday, a matchup that will likely influence the final selections but leaves only limited room for dramatic changes before Sunday, when the full field of 12 will be announced by the selection committee.
CFP Top 25 after Week 14
Rank Team Record
1 Ohio State 12-0
2 Indiana 12-0
3 Georgia 11-1
4 Texas Tech 11-1
5 Oregon 11-1
6 Ole Miss 11-1
7 Texas A&M 11-1
8 Oklahoma 10-2
9 Alabama 10-2
10 Notre Dame 10-2
11 BYU 11-1
12 Miami 10-2
13 Texas 9-3
14 Vanderbilt 10-2
15 Utah 10-2
16 USC 9-3
17 Virginia 10-2
18 Arizona 9-3
19 Michigan 9-3
20 Tulane 10-2
21 Houston 9-3
22 Georgia Tech 9-3
23 Iowa 8-4
24 North Texas 11-1
25 James Madison 11-1
Georgia’s surge to No. 3 is followed by Texas Tech, Oregon, and Ole Miss. Ole Miss jumped to No. 6 after winning its season finale against Mississippi State but will have to watch as their head coach, Lane Kiffin, has departed for LSU and won’t coach in the playoff run.
Texas’ win over Texas A&M helped push the Aggies out of the top three for the first time this season, landing at No. 7. The Longhorns (9-3) remain the highest-ranked three-loss team, arguing that their early-season schedule, including a Week 1 loss to Ohio State and later defeat at Florida, unfairly dinged their standing. They also beat No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt, but losses to Georgia and A&M complicate their case. At this point, Texas’ championship hopes appear slim.
Alabama (10-2) rose to No. 9 after their Iron Bowl victory, while Notre Dame (10-2) slipped to No. 10 following a dominant win over Stanford. The shift is modest but could be meaningful if Alabama loses the SEC title game to Georgia on Saturday and still remains in contention.
CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek, the Arkansas athletic director, noted on ESPN that the Alabama-Notre Dame debate has been one of the strongest the committee has faced in several years, underscoring how closely the rankings are believed to reflect strength of schedule and performance.
The cut line for at-large berths is No. 10, given that two of the five highest-ranked conference champions are almost certain to be outside the top 12. That leaves No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Miami as classic bubble teams entering the final weekend. BYU plays Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game in Arlington, Texas, while Miami can only reach the Playoff via at-large considerations after ACC Championship tiebreakers didn’t fall in its favor.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal continues to cite their season-opening win against Notre Dame as a pivotal factor in any potential comparison with Notre Dame. Notre Dame, operating as an independent, closed the regular season with a 10-game winning streak after setbacks to Miami and Texas A&M by a combined total of four points.
Miami’s late surge included a four-game winning streak culminating in a 38-7 victory over Pitt. Cristobal reiterated to ESPN that the ultimate arbiter is on-field results, but with no rematch in place, the final Sunday could see shifts if BYU falters or other outcomes ripple through the rankings.
Yurachek emphasized that rankings are not set in stone and can move as conference championship results unfold and as strength of schedule data is re-evaluated.
This story will be updated as the weekend events shape the final CFP field.
Dec 3, 2025
