Reaction to the Second 2025 College Football Playoff Rankings

     The second edition of the 2025 College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings came out Tuesday. Much of it stayed the same with the first rankings, but there was some movement, as some ranked teams did drop games last Saturday. Let's get into the rankings. 

    Coming in at the 25th spot was Cincinnati. After losing to Utah two weeks ago, they were off last week, but got into the rankings because some teams fell out. South Florida checks in at No. 24, as, after a heartbreaking loss to Memphis two weeks ago, they got a bounce-back 55-23 win over UTSA. Tennessee is No. 23. Pittsburgh is No. 22, and they host Game Day this week against Notre Dame. Iowa, only dropping one spot after a heartbreaking loss to Oregon, is No. 21. Despite still being in the rankings, that loss effectively ended their playoff chances, as they are now a three-loss team. At No. 20 is a team who just had a loss which was a huge blow to their season, the Louisville Cardinals. After their stunning home loss to California, they dropped five spots. They are now a two-loss team in ACC play, and need a lot of help to get to the ACC Championship Game and have a shot at the playoff. At No. 19, we have Virginia, another ACC team who dropped five spots after a damaging loss. They are not in as much trouble as Louisville, as they only have one ACC loss. However, it does mean that they have no margin for error moving forward. Michigan is at No. 18, as they have been quietly winning games. If they can get to 10-2, which would, at that point, include a win over Ohio State, they are probably in the playoff. USC, who beat Michigan, checks in at No. 17. Considering how close together Michigan and USC are, it is likely that the fact that USC beat Michigan is a big reason why USC is one spot higher. Like Michigan, though, USC just needs to take care of business, and they have a shot at the playoff. Georgia Tech is No. 16. The ACC is likely a one-bid league this year, and Virginia and Louisville's losses only make that more likely. However, if Georgia Tech can beat Georgia on the Friday after Thanksgiving, they might have a chance at the playoff even if they don't win the ACC. At No. 15 is Miami. It is a little confusing why they are six spots behind Notre Dame, considering that they beat the Fighting Irish and that they both have two losses, and some would say that Miami is too low. With them being ranked so low, though, they might need to win the ACC to make the playoff, and they need a lot of help to even make the ACC Championship Game, so Miami is not in a great spot. Vanderbilt is No. 14, and they can't win the SEC, but they still have all of their playoff dreams in front of them. If they can just win out against Kentucky and Tennessee, they are most likely in. However, that will not be an easy task, as Tennessee is a ranked team as well, and Neyland is always a difficult place to play in. At No. 13 is the Utah Utes. They still have an outside shot at the playoff because they are ranked so high, but they don't have another game on their schedule that could really boost their at-large resume, and they need some help to win the Big 12. Therefore, Utah is in some trouble. At No. 12 is another Big 12 team, the BYU Cougars. They suffered their first loss of the season last week in blowout fashion at Texas Tech, and consequently dropped out of the top ten. However, they still control their own destiny in the Big 12 race, and thus, in the playoff race. BYU is still in a solid spot. At No. 11 is the Oklahoma Sooners. They are still very much in playoff contention, and they have a huge game on Saturday at Alabama. If they can somehow win that game, they have a clear path to the playoff. However, if they lose that game, their playoff chances are probably gone. The No. 10 team is Oklahoma's biggest rival, and a team who beat the Sooners earlier in the season, which is why they are ranked ahead of them: the Texas Longhorns. After their loss to Florida earlier in the year, the preseason AP No. 1 team in the country was left for dead, but they have quietly been winning games ever since then. Now, they are in a win out-and-in situation. However, they have two extremely tough games left on their schedule: at Georgia and at home against Texas A&M. It will be hard for the Longhorns to win both of those games, but we will have to see if they can do it. At No. 9, somewhat controversially, is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are a team who some question if they deserve to be ranked that high. Admittedly, they lost to Miami earlier in the season, and both Notre Dame and Miami have two losses, so it is questionable that Notre Dame is ranked six spots ahead of Miami. It also sets a dangerous precedent that losses early in the season don't matter, making early-season games potentially meaningless. That is opening up a whole different can of worms, though, and, as they are ranked this high, they just have to win out, and they are back in the playoff for the second straight year. At No. 8 is the Oregon Ducks. They got a gritty, hard fought win on the road against Iowa last Saturday on a last-second field goal. It was probably their best win of the season to date, as the Penn State win is looking less and less impressive with each passing week. That win has gone from a win over a top five team to a win over a likely 3-9 team. Oregon is probably not making the Big 10 Championship game, but they have an easy schedule from here on out, and, considering their current ranking, they are probably making the playoffs once again. At No. 7 is Ole Miss. Ole Miss dropped a spot in these rankings, but not because of anything they did, just by virtue of Texas Tech's blowout win over BYU. It is splitting hairs between Texas Tech and Ole Miss, and ranking either one higher than the other is perfectly reasonable. It doesn't really matter, though, and Ole Miss is in a good spot to make the playoff, though they do need some help to make it to the SEC Championship game. Texas Tech is No. 6. As mentioned earlier, they jumped Ole Miss because of their statement win against BYU. The Red Raiders look like the clear best team in the Big 12 and are in solid position to make the playoff. Checking in at No. 5 is the Georgia Bulldogs. Kirby Smart always has his team right in the thick of things, and he does once again this year. This is not one of his best teams, but they are still a very good team. They do have a semi-tough schedule the rest of the way, so they aren't penciled in as a playoff team yet. This upcoming Saturday, they host Texas, and then they travel to face rival Georgia Tech on the Friday after Thanksgiving. As long as they win one of those games, they are in the playoff more than likely. However, those are both tough games, so there is a universe where they lose both games and wind up getting left out of the playoff, which would be a bitterly disappointing year for this program, considering the standard that they have set for themselves in recent seasons. At No. 4 is Alabama. After losing to Florida State in week one, in a loss that is looking more and more head-scratching by the week, the Crimson Tide have just steamrolled everybody in their path. The offense struggled a little against LSU, allowing the Tigers to hang around, but it never really felt like Alabama was in any real danger of losing that game on their home field. Up next is a revenge game at home against Oklahoma, as the Sooners were the team that knocked the Crimson Tide out of the playoff race last year. However, even if they lose that game, considering the schedule that they have left, Alabama is still in good position to make the playoffs, and maybe even still make it to the SEC Championship Game. The Texas A&M Aggies check in at No. 3. They improved to 9-0 with a relatively easy win at a ranked Missouri team, and they feel like a virtual lock to make the playoff at this point. Their remaining games are South Carolina, Samford, and at Texas, and there may not be a parallel universe where they lose all three of those games, which is likely what would need to happen for them to miss the playoffs. The Aggies are as close of a lock to make the playoffs as you can have at this point in the season. Checking in at No. 2 is Indiana. The Hoosiers did not play their best game at Penn State, and it is questionable that they remained at No. 2. There is a strong case to be made that Texas A&M should have past them after their relatively unimpressive performance Saturday. However, Indiana will probably still go 12-0, given their schedule the rest of the way, and get a bye in the playoffs even if they lose the Big 10 Championship Game. Under the new rules, a team can get a bye in the playoffs even if they do not win their conference. This is a questionable rule change, as it significantly downplays the importance of conference championship games, but it is the new rule. To finish off the rankings, staying at No. 1 is the defending national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State continues to quietly destroy everybody they play, and, with Texas playing better now, that week one win over the Longhorns is looking more impressive again. Like the other top teams, the Buckeyes are a virtual lock to make the playoffs, and we look destined for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in the Big 10 Championship Game between Ohio State and Indiana. That game wouldn't mean much from a playoff standpoint, as both teams would have clinched first round byes, but both teams will be hungry for the title of Big 10 Champions. Though Ohio State has pretty much clinched a playoff spot, there is one game that they have their sights set on in the regular season: at Michigan on Rivalry Week. Though the Buckeyes did win the National Championship a year ago, they lost to Michigan. They will be hungry to finally beat their rival, as they haven't beaten the Wolverines since 2019 (the 2020 game was cancelled due to COVID-19). The fact that a win would likely be what would knock Michigan out of the playoff picture would make it all the sweeter. For now, though, Ohio State is No. 1 in the 2025 College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings, and deservedly so. Overall, these rankings are pretty solid, though there are some questionable parts.