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  • Top 3 Hold Steady In CFP Rankings As Alabama And Texas Both Tumble, And Tulane Debuts

Top 3 Hold Steady In CFP Rankings As Alabama And Texas Both Tumble, And Tulane Debuts

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The top three teams in the College Football Playoff rankings remained unchanged Tuesday night, with Ohio State, Indiana, and Texas A&M holding steady after Week 12 wins. But the biggest headline came from Tuscaloosa, where Alabama dropped six spots to No. 10 following a 23–21 home loss to Oklahoma, which climbed to No. 8.

Despite owning four top-25 wins — three more than No. 9 Notre Dame — Alabama now sits behind the Irish in the rankings. Adding to the intrigue, Georgia, which Alabama beat in September, jumped to No. 4 after a dominant win over Texas. Texas Tech moved up to No. 5, followed by Ole Miss at No. 6 and Oregon at No. 7.

The committee’s decision to rank Notre Dame ahead of Miami at No. 13 also drew scrutiny. Both teams are 8–2, but Miami beat the Irish 27–24 in the season opener. Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal didn’t mince words earlier this week: “The No. 1 criteria is always head-to-head. It’s why we play the game, right? That always has been and always will be the No. 1 factor.”

Committee chair Hunter Yurachek, Arkansas’ athletic director, acknowledged the controversy. “Miami needs to continue to win the football games they have in front of them, and good things will happen,” he said. Yurachek added that the committee “really hasn’t compared those teams” yet, but if they end up in a similar tier, “head-to-head will be a significant data point.”

Miami’s path to the ACC title game remains complicated. The Hurricanes must win out and hope for losses by Virginia, Georgia Tech, SMU, and one from Duke. ESPN’s FPI gives Georgia Tech a 35.3% chance to win the ACC, with Virginia close behind at 32.7%.

Texas fell seven spots to No. 17 after its 35–10 loss to Georgia, now trailing No. 16 Georgia Tech. Michigan (No. 18), Virginia (No. 19), and Tennessee (No. 20) round out the top 20. The final five spots belong to Illinois, Missouri, Houston, Tulane, and Arizona State, with Tulane replacing USF as the top-ranked Group of 5 team.

The CFP format this year uses straight seeding, with the top four teams earning first-round byes regardless of conference affiliation. If the playoffs began today, the first-round matchups would be: Tulane at Texas Tech, Miami at Ole Miss, Alabama at Oregon, and Notre Dame at Oklahoma.

In the SEC, Alabama still has a 71% chance to reach the conference title game, per ESPN Research. A win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl would likely seal it. Georgia is done with SEC play but would lose a tiebreaker to Alabama. Meanwhile, Texas A&M can clinch a spot in Atlanta with a win over Texas next weekend.

Yurachek praised both Indiana and Texas A&M for their resilience. “What the committee saw in both Indiana and Texas A&M is that good teams find ways to win even when they don’t play their best,” he said.

In the Big Ten, Ohio State and Indiana are well-positioned for CFP berths, but a pivotal game looms: No. 15 USC travels to No. 7 Oregon this weekend. In the Big 12, Texas Tech and BYU are the only teams with one conference loss, setting up a potential title clash if both win out.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark expressed optimism: “I am thrilled to see the Big 12 Conference getting the respect it deserves.”

The final CFP rankings will be released Dec. 7. First-round games are scheduled for Dec. 19–20 at campus sites, followed by quarterfinals at the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. Semifinals will be held Jan. 8–9 at the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl, with the national championship set for Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.