The conference championships have concluded. Now, teams will be looking towards their next steps. For 12 teams, it is the College Football Playoff, and for other top teams, it will be bowl games. As the conference championships saw some upsets, there are some changes in the College Football Top 25 Power Rankings.
1. Indiana
Indiana has claimed the Big Ten Championship. This moves them to the top spot in the rankings as the only undefeated team in college football. Indiana faced Ohio State in the Big Ten Title Game. Indiana picked off Julian Sayin early and turned that into a field goal. Still, on the next offensive drive for the Hoosiers, Fernando Mendoza threw an interception, which led to an Ohio State touchdown. The Buckeyes had the 10-6 lead heading into the halftime break. Indiana then took the lead on a Mendoza pass to Elijah Surratt in the third quarter. The Hooisers' defense held Ohio State scoreless in the second half, winning the game 13-10.
Indiana got the number one seed in the playoffs. They will face the winner of the Alabama-Oklahoma first-round game at the Rose Bowl on January 1st.
2. Ohio State
Ohio State drops to the second spot in the rankings with its first loss of the season. The Buckeyes had chances to win the game. Late in the third quarter, they drove the ball to the Indiana five-yard line. They went for it on fourth down, but Sayin was stuffed on the quarterback sneak, leading to a turnover on downs. Indiana then drained nearly six minutes off the clock before punting. The Buckeyes drove the field once again, getting the ball to the Indiana nine-yard line. They lined up for the field goal, but the 27-yard attempt was missed. Indiana then drained all but 18 seconds off the clock to take the win.
Ohio State still has a bye. They will play the winner of Miami and Texas A&M at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on December 31st.
3. Georgia
Georgia is coming off a dominating victory in the SEC championship. After some slow starts for each offense early, a blocked punt turned the tide. After the blocked punt, the Bulldogs drove 21 yards to the end zone to take the lead. The next drive, the defense intercepted Ty Simpson, and Georgia drove the field again to make it 14-0. The team also started the second half strong. They scored in their first drive of the half to get up 21. Alabama finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter, but it was too late by then as Georgia went on to win the game 28-7.
Georgia will play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1, awaiting the winner of Tulane and Ole Miss.
4. Texas Tech
Texas Tech remains at the four spot with a major win in the Big 12 Championship Game. Behren Morton fought through injury to throw for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Ben Roberts picked off two passes to help the Red Raiders control the game. BYU was down just 13-7 going into the halftime break, but Texas Tech scored 21 points in the second half to build its lead. They also did not allow BYU to score after their first quarter touchdown on the way to the 34-7 victory.
Texas Tech will await the winner of James Madison and Oregon in the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 1.
5. Oregon
The Ducks will also be going to the playoffs. They did not play in a conference championship game, getting the week off. They now also know who they will be facing in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Oregon will host James Madison on December 20. Oregon is heavily favored in the game. Odds at the time of writing, provided by DraftKings, have Oregon as a 20.5-point favorite, the biggest favorite of the first round.
6. Texas A&M
Texas A&M remained at sixth after being off this past week. The last time the Aggies took the field, they faced Texas and were upset for their first loss of the year. The team will still be playoff-bound. They play host to No. 10 Miami on Saturday, December 20.
7. Ole Miss
Ole Miss was 11-1 this year, but still did not qualify for the SEC Championship game. Like Oregon and Texas A&M, Ole Miss got the week off and could sit easy knowing a playoff berth was all but assured. The Rebels will host Tulane on December 20 in the first round of the playoff.
8. Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the final team getting to host in the first round of the playoffs. They finished the season at 10-2, including a 2-point victory on the road against Alabama earlier this year. That is enough to keep them in the eight spot this week as they prepare to host the Crimson Tide on December 19.
9. Miami
Miami ends up getting into the playoff field, despite not winning its conference or even playing for the conference championship. After losses for Alabama and BYU, Miami was moving up in the rankings. It also put them close to Notre Dame, another two-loss team that Miami defeated. It is the same justification the CFP used to put Miami in and keep Notre Dame out.
Miami will visit Texas A&M on December 20, hoping to prove it belonged in the playoff.
10. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish were disappointed not to make it to the playoffs after expecting to get in. After a 10-2 season, the Irish thought they had done enough to earn a spot. Meanwhile, with the loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship, the team was even more confident that they would be moving to the playoffs. After being snubbed, the Irish have decided to end their season, as Notre Dame declined a bowl invite.
11. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt made a compelling argument for why they should be playoff-bound. They had a strong strength of record and strength of schedule, finishing the campaign at 10-2. It was not enough for Vandy to be moving on. Vanderbilt will be heading to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, on December 31. While not the hope the Dores had for a bowl site, a win over Iowa in the game will be a nice cap for a solid season.
12. Alabama
The Alabama offense was dominated by Georgia for most of the game. Alabama had just 209 yards of total offense against Georgia. Further, they had negative three rushing yards in the game. Alabama has been one-dimensional all season long, and it was exposed heavily in this game. If the Crimson Tide is unable to figure out some balance, it could be a quick exit in the playoffs, facing Oklahoma in the first round on December 19.
13. Texas
Texas ended the season with three losses and had a case for the CFP. The Longhorns face four teams that will be in the playoffs this season. Texas fell to Ohio State and Georgia, while defeating Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Regardless, the loss to Florida on the road may have been the difference between the playoffs and not.
Texas will be playing against Michigan on December 31 in the Citrus Bowl.
14. BYU
BYU dropped to 11-2 on the season, falling for the second time this year, both against Texas Tech. The Cougars struck first with a touchdown in the first quarter. They did not score again, and Texas Tech scored 34 straight points on the way to a 34-7 victory over the Cougars. BYU will be heading to the Pop-Tarts Bowl on December 17 against Georgia Tech.
15. Utah
It was a 10-2 season from Utah, with the only losses being to Texas Tech and BYU, the two teams that played for the Big 12 Championship. Utah will not head to Las Vegas to face Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 31.
16. Tulane
Tulane has moved to 11-2 on the season and American Conference Champions. Facing North Texas, a strong first half gave Tulane momentum. After allowing the first touchdown of the game, Tulane would lead 27-7 at the halftime break. North Texas made it a ten-point game late in the game, but could not fully close the gap, as Tulane won 34-21 and clinched a playoff spot in the process.
Tulane will face Ole Miss on the road on December 20 in the first round. This is a rematch of a game earlier this year, when Tulane fell 45-10 to Ole Miss.
17. James Madison
James Madison has also clinched a playoff spot. They needed some help, most notably a Duke win over Virginia in the ACC championship. JMU did not have its best game against Troy. They led by just three going into the halftime break, and it remained a three-point game late into the fourth. That is when Troy made some mistakes, and JMU broke the game open, winning 31-14. The Dukes now head to the West Coast, facing Oregon on December 20th.
18. USC
USC finishes as one of the top 9-3 teams this year. They had solid wins against Iowa and Michigan, but also fell to Illinois, Oregon, and Notre Dame this year. The Trojans will be facing TCU on December 30 in the Alamo Bowl.
19. Michigan
Michigan is also a top 9-3 team this season, but sits behind USC with the head-to-head loss. The Wolverines had won five straight before the loss to Ohio State in the final week of the season. They will face Texas in the Citrus Bowl on December 31.
20. Arizona
Arizona also finished the season 9-3, with losses to Iowa State, BYU, and Houston. The Wildcats finished the season on a five-game winning streak and will look to extend it to six at their bowl game. Arizona will play in the last non-playoff bowl of Bowl Season, facing SMU in the Holiday Bowl on January 2.
21. UConn
UConn will have a new head coach next year, and for their bowl game. Gordon Sammis will be the interim for the bowl game, as the Huskies will have Jason Candle coming in from Toledo to be the head coach next season. UConn will face Army on December 27 at the Fenway Bowl.
22. Navy
Navy will also be playing in Bowl Season, but they have one more major game before the bowl games. They have the 126th meeting with Army before their bowl game. Navy won the 2024 meeting between the two, but Army has won six of the last nine games.
23. Virginia
Virginia was in a solid situation. If they won the ACC Championship, they were likely heading to the playoffs. Virginia needed to make a huge comeback in the game. They were down ten with under four minutes left in the game. Still, they hit a field goal and then a 10-play 96-yard drive to tie the game. This led to overtime, where Duke scored first. Virginia needed to tie the game, but an interception by Chandler Morris ended the playoff hopes of UVA. Instead of a playoff game, Virginia will face Missouri on December 27 in the Gator Bowl.
24. Houston
Houston also finished the season at 9-3. It was a slight struggle down the stretch run of the season, winning just two of their last four with a loss to West Virginia. Still, they won't have to go far for their bowl game. Houston will play at NRG Stadium in Houston for the Texas Bowl against LSU on December 27.
25. Boise State
Boise State finishes the regular season 9-4 with a Mountain West Championship. They won each of their final three games, capping it off with a win over UNLV in the conference championship. Maddux Madsen delivered four touchdowns in the first half on the way to a 38-21 victory. They will face Washington in the Bucked Up LA Bowl on December 13.
Just Missed: North Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Kennesaw State
