College Football Playoff rankings: Updated 12-team bracket revealed in third CFP poll of 2025

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• College Football Playoff rankings
• College Football Playoff bracket
• College Football Playoff predictions
• How College Football Playoff format works
• What time are the CFP rankings announced?

The College Football regular season is winding down, which means the College Football Playoff is inching closer.

This year is the second year of the 12-team postseason, giving 12 different schools a chance to win the National Championship. The Ohio State Buckeyes, of course, will be among the favorites to repeat as national champions, but other programs like the Indiana Hoosiers and Texas A&M Aggies are all eyeing a deep postseason run.

With less than a month left until the committee decides which 12 teams will participate in the College Football Playoff, there is still plenty to decide. The SEC and Big Ten will be true battles until championship weekend, while the ACC is seemingly wide open.

This weekend's slate of games is really only an appetizer for the final regular season week of the year, with most of the top teams either off or playing lighter competition. Therefore, how the committee ranks teams this week is crucial for each program's standing.

AllSportsPeople tracked the College Football Playoff committee's ranking for Week 13. Here's how the committee ranked the top 25, along with a look at the projected bracket.

STREAM: Watch the first CFP rankings show live with Fubo (free trial)

College Football Playoff rankings 2025

Who are the top 12 teams in CFP bracket poll?

The first three teams of Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M remain in their spots, as they remain the three undefeated teams in the Power Five. However, there were changes after that trio that are notable.

The two biggest results of the weekend were Georgia's win over Texas and Oklahoma beating Alabama. As a result, Georgia moves up to No. 4 and Oklahoma rises to No. 8, while Alabama falls all the way down to No. 10. That makes the Crimson Tide the last at-large team in the field.

Texas Tech, Ole Miss and Oregon all moved up a spot, while Notre Dame remains at the No. 9 spot. The Sooners big win over the Crimson Tide helped them jump the Fighting Irish, who had an impressive win over Pitt themselves.

Of the top 10 teams, the Ducks have the toughest matchup of the week as they host USC. If the Trojans pull off the upset, Oregon could find itself on the outside looking in.

BYU and Utah were the final two teams in the top 12, but they would be out of the Playoff field in favor of the next two highest-ranked conference winners.

First four teams out

Miami may be ranked No. 13, but the Hurricanes are the highest-ranked ACC team, which puts them in as the No. 11 seed. However, Miami isn't on the road to play in the ACC Championship game, so the Hurricanes still need help to secure an at-large spot.

While Georgia Tech is behind Miami, the Yellow Jackets would currently play in the ACC title game, giving them an inside trade over the Hurricanes.

Vanderbilt is in a tough spot in the SEC and needs lots of help to get into better position, but USC gets Oregon this week in a make-or-break game. If the Trojans win, they would have a legitimate case at taking the Ducks' spot in the top 10.

Rest of the top 25

Texas falls seven spots out of the field, making the Longhorns' chances at earning an at-large spot. While Texas still has a prime chance for a big win against Texas A&M, the damage may already be done.

Virginia is another notable name, as the No. 19 team would play in the ACC title game if the season ended today. Therefore, the Cavaliers still control their own destiny with just one game left on the schedule.

There is one Group of 5 team in the top 25: Tulane. The Green Wave would therefore earn the 12th and final spot in the Playoff field based on these rankings.

TIEBREAKER SCENARIOS: ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | SEC

College Football Playoff bracket 2025

College Football Playoff predictions

Here's how TSN's Bill Bender projects the College Football Playoff ahead of Week 13.

How College Football Playoff format works in 2025

While this is the second year of the 12-team playoff, the format is different that last season.

The five highest-ranked conference champions will earn automatic bids, while the next seven-best non-conference champions will earn the wild card spots. From their, the 12 teams in the field will be seeded by ranking, regardless of whether they won their conference championship.

Therefore, the four highest-ranked teams in the field will earn byes, with seeds Nos. 5-12 playing in the first round of the Playoff.

First round

• No. 5 team at No. 12 team
• No. 6 team at No. 11 team
• No. 7 team at No. 10 team
• No. 8 team at No. 9 team

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 team vs. No. 8/9 team
• No. 2 team vs. No. 7/10 team
• No. 3 team vs. No. 6/11 team
• No. 4 team vs. No. 5/12 team

What time are College Football Playoff rankings released?

Here's a look at the College Football Playoff rankings release schedule for the rest of the year.