College Football Playoff: Miami holds top spot in first rankings
The selection committee will announce its initial 12-team seedings Tuesday night, setting the stage for a turbulent path to the January 25 title game in Las Vegas.
By Amelia Gupta ·
Miami enters Tuesday night's release as the top seed in the College Football Playoff, a position that seems secure given the Hurricanes' undefeated record. The 13-member selection committee will finalize the first of six weekly rankings, a process that doubles as television programming for ESPN. The network is paying approximately $1.3 billion this year to air the tournament, which begins in December. While Miami's status appears firm, the rest of the bracket remains in flux, leaving fans and analysts to speculate on how the committee will handle the other contenders.
The landscape of the top five has been volatile this season. Utah and UCLA are the only other undefeated teams, ranking No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, in the AP poll. Georgia sits at No. 2 despite a loss last month to unranked Auburn. Auburn subsequently lost to Ole Miss by a score of 30 last weekend. Notre Dame is ranked No. 4, dropping a spot after a 35-13 victory over Navy. The Irish play Miami this Saturday, a matchup that will likely trigger the first major shift in the standings.
The committee faces a complex decision regarding the Southeastern Conference. The league enters Week 10 without an undefeated team, yet ten of its squads hold spots in the AP Top 25. Alabama lost to Tennessee, which in turn lost to Texas. Texas has lost to Florida and Oklahoma but defeated Ohio State and Ole Miss. Ole Miss beat LSU but fell to Florida. This web of upsets raises questions about how the panel values strength of schedule, especially since the SEC added a ninth conference game this season.
Ohio State appears to be a bubble candidate. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 11, have two losses and lost quarterback Julian Sayin. Their defeat by Southern California last weekend dropped them out of the AP top 10 for the first time since 2021. Indiana, the defending national champion, fell to No. 6 after an overtime win over Minnesota. That result was their third sub-dominant performance in four weeks, occurring after a loss to Ohio State. In the Group of Six, Boise State and New Mexico are the only teams in the AP Top 25, holding No. 20 and No. 22, respectively.
Rule changes for this second year of the 12-team format affect how teams qualify. If Notre Dame finishes in the top 12 on December 6, they are guaranteed a spot and cannot be displaced by a higher-ranked conference champion. All four Power Four conference champions receive automatic bids. The Group of Six spot goes to the highest-ranked team in that group, regardless of conference title status. ESPN and the CFP have a handshake agreement to expand the field to 24 teams beginning next season.
The tournament schedule is set for the final six weeks of the season. The 12-team bracket will be announced on December 6. The first round games will be played on campus on December 18 and 19. The competition will then move through traditional bowl games around New Year's Day. The championship game is scheduled for January 25 in Las Vegas.
