College Football Playoff Rankings: The Big 12 is the Big Story, 5 Thoughts on the Top 25
· Yahoo Sports
The second batch of College Football Playoff rankings doesn’t unleash the shock value of the first release, but there’s a whole lot to unpack in the latest Top 25 rankings. Here’s who’s overrated, underrated, why playing big non-conference games just doesn’t matter, and why the Big 12 is the most interesting conference in college football going forward.
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2026 College Football Playoff Rankings: 5 Key Takeaways
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5. The Five Rankings That Matter Most
Notre Dame at No. 5
It’s a little insulting that the team that just beat the No. 1 team (Miami) didn’t get somewhere in the top three, but whatever. The Irish will end up in the top four and get a bye if they win out.
Texas at No. 6
This sets up Texas to be the first at-large three-loss team to get in if it drops one more game. The Longhorns play at LSU this week.
Houston at No. 14
It’s a sneaky-interesting ranking. Houston’s only losses were in close fights at Utah and Texas Tech. There will be losses among the top 13, and the Cougars will likely finish 10-2.
Iowa at No. 15
Barring a miracle, Iowa is the only real hope for the Big Ten to get a third team in, along with (likely) Indiana and UCLA. But the Big 12 will be a problem, with several teams likely to be in the mix. More on this in a moment.
USC at No. 18
Remember USC?! It still only has two losses – not playing Notre Dame this year helps. If it beats Indiana, doesn’t faceplant against Maryland, and can get by UCLA, the Trojans will slide on into the CFP.
4. The Lack of Respect for Non-Conference Games
This matters more than ever going forward with the 24-team College Football Playoff format starting with the 2027 season. Power Four programs will have to play ten other Power Four teams or Notre Dame, and the idea is that teams might try to schedule big matchups to try to make a splash.
The College Football Playoff committee, at least after a few weeks of rankings, is once again sending a message loud and clear: WE DON’T CARE.
Ever since the start of the CFP in 2014, the committee has never given enough credit to teams that lose in good fights against great teams. Did Texas receive a lick of love last year when it lost to Ohio State and finished 9-3? No, because it was easier to rank 10-2 teams higher.
And now there’s this week. Who are the top four teams and what are their non-conference schedules?
Georgia: Tennessee Tech, Western Kentucky, and at the end of the regular season, a bad Georgia Tech.
Utah: Idaho, an Arkansas team that’s probably the worst in the SEC, and Utah State.
Alabama: East Carolina, a Florida State team that probably won’t go to a bowl game, and Chattanooga.
UCLA: Cal, San Diego State, Nevada.
In a 24-team field, and with 9-3 being the new 10-2, just get through your conference with a strong record, and all will be fine.
3. The Most Overrated Teams
Alabama at No. 3
On the one hand, give the committee credit for not record ranking, but the “… because it’s Alabama” clause was invoked. Yeah, the wins are great, but Tennessee at No. 8 and Bama all the way up at No. 3 feels a little off.
UCLA at No. 4
It’s a good, strong team, but being No. 4 over a Notre Dame team that just beat No. 1 Miami is a little bit too much credit being given to a 9-0 record and a win over Oregon.
Indiana at No. 9
There’s still nothing there. The loss to Ohio State looks worse, the best wins were close fights against Minnesota and Northwestern and … it doesn’t matter. Beat USC, win at Washington, close by beating Purdue before taking down UCLA in the Big Ten Championship, and the Hoosiers will likely finish in the top three.
2. The Most Underrated Teams
Arizona at No. 23
The win over Cincinnati doesn’t look good on the metrics, but the Bearcats did take down Texas Tech. Arizona’s two losses were on the road to the Red Raiders and BYU.
South Carolina at No. 17
This actually isn’t bad, but if the committee is so forgiving of Alabama’s 16-point loss to Tennessee, it should respect that the Gamecocks beat the Vols. Yeah, South Carolina got trucked by Alabama, but it’s now on a four-game roll and should be slightly higher.
Miami at No. 7
So you were No. 1 last week, apparently for a reason. You lose at Notre Dame, but were this close to making it really interesting at the very end after a possible touchdown catch got batted away, and … now you’re No. 7.
1. The Big 12 is the Big Story
Get ready for the wildest conference finish in the country. Here we go (deep breath …)
Utah is No. 2 at 9-0. It closes at Arizona, at TCU, West Virginia. There’s a loss in there somewhere.
BYU is No. 10 and 7-2 after the loss to Utah. It finishes with Baylor, at Kansas, and Cincinnati. It’s probably running the table – and it has the win over Notre Dame.
Texas Tech is a wild card. It’s 8-1 and ranked No. 12 with a loss to Cincinnati. It goes to Oklahoma State and Baylor, and hosts TCU.
Houston is No. 14 at 7-2, with tough losses at Texas Tech and Utah. It closes at Colorado, at West Virginia, and against Baylor. All are landmines to sidestep, but the Cougars will likely be favored in every game.
Arizona is 7-2 and ranked No. 23, with its two losses on the road to Texas Tech and BYU. It hosts Utah this week, goes to Kansas State, and finishes with Arizona State.
Oklahoma State is the problem for the Big 12. It’s No. 25 and 6-3 with losses to Tulsa, Iowa State, and Houston. However, if it beats Texas Tech, it could screw up a shot for the Big 12 to get multiple teams in.
The Cowboys are realistically out, but five teams, all with a real possibility to finish at least 10-2, and several with a shot to create a nightmare of a time for the committee over the next few weeks.