Oregon on Top of First College Football Playoff Rankings

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel of the Oregon Ducks looks to pass downfield during the third quarter of the game against the Idaho Vandals at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Aug. 31, 2024. Ali Gradischer/Getty Images

Tuesday was a day and a half if you’re into news. Between the presidential election and the NFL trade deadline, there was a lot to keep track of well into the night. Perhaps with all of the action going on you missed the release of the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings.

These will be updated throughout the month of November until we arrive at the final 12-team field from which this year’s national champion will be named. This is the first year there will be 12 teams involved in the NCAA “postseason,” if we can now use a term that had been exclusively used by professional leagues previously.

Here’s how the first edition of the CFP rankings came out:

1. Oregon (Big Ten): 9–0
2. Ohio State (Big Ten): 7–1
3. Georgia (SEC): 7–1
4. Miami (ACC): 9–0
5. Texas (SEC): 7–1
6. Penn State (Big Ten): 7–1
7. Tennessee (SEC): 7–1
8. Indiana (Big Ten): 9–0
9. BYU (Big 12): 8–0
10. Notre Dame (Ind.): 7–1
11. Alabama (SEC): 6–2
12. Boise State (Mountain West): 7–1

The top 12 is predictably dominated by the Big Ten and SEC, which have four teams each. Alabama is the highest-ranked 2-loss team.

That’s the top 12, meaning the teams that are currently in a playoff position. However, the CFP rankings actually ran a full 25 teams deep, like an AP poll. So there are teams on the outside of the current top 12 that know what’s at stake for them and if there’s a path to a berth in front of them in the weeks to come. Here’s the rest of the CFP top 25:

13. SMU (ACC): 8–1
14. Texas A&M (SEC): 7–2
15. LSU (SEC): 6–2
16. Mississippi (SEC): 7–2
17. Iowa State (Big 12): 7–1
18. Pittsburgh (ACC): 7–1
19. Kansas State (Big 12): 7–2
20. Colorado (Big 12): 6–2
21. Washington State (Pac-12): 7–1
22. Louisville (ACC): 6–3
23. Clemson (ACC): 6–2
24. Missouri (SEC): 6–2
25. Army (AAC): 8–0

Under the new format, the five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids. The highest four ranked teams will receive a bye to the second round of the playoff.

The first round of the playoff will be played at either the home field of the higher-seeded team or a neutral site determined by the higher seed the weekend of Dec. 20–21. The quarterfinals will be made up of the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl and will be played on Dec. 31 (Fiesta Bowl) or New Year’s Day (Peach, Rose, and Sugar Bowls).

The semifinals in 2025 will be played at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 and Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 with the College Football Playoff National Championship Game played in Atlanta on Jan. 20, 2025.