College Football Playoff rankings predictions: What Week 13's CFP top 25, bracket could look like

The third College Football Playoff rankings of 2025 — Week 13's edition — are approaching fast and there's bound to be some changes after two top-10 teams lost. Before the rankings are unveiled by the CFP committee, I predict where each potential top 25 team could land.

The third of six CFP top 25 reveals happens on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Ahead of the announcement, here's a prediction of how the committee could rank its top 25 teams. Note that these are my predictions and mine alone. I take a look at head-to-head results, schedule strength, games against ranked teams, and more to help rank the teams as I think the CFP committee will do so. You can read the .

MORE: Recapping Week 12 of college football

College Football Playoff rankings predictions: The first top 25 projections | Week 13

These predictions are as of Sunday, Nov. 16. 

1. Ohio State (10-0) | LW: 1 — Ohio State dominated UCLA. That defense will be hard for any team to score on.
2. Indiana (11-0)| LW: 2 — Indiana blasted Wisconsin behind a big day from quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
3. Texas A&M (10-0)| LW: 3 — I don't think anyone will be asking for Texas A&M to be the nation's top team after trailing South Carolina by 27 points. The Aggies will stay at No. 3 after its comeback win.
4. Georgia (9-1)| LW: 5 — Georgia picked up a top-10 win over Texas and will move up to No. 4 this week.
5. Texas Tech (10-1)| LW: 6 — Texas Tech will move into the top five after beating UCF.
6. Ole Miss (10-1)| LW: 7 — Ole Miss finally beat Florida under Lane Kiffin. For that, the committee will rank the Rebels sixth.
7. Oklahoma (8-2)| LW: 11 — The committee was high enough on Alabama last week that the Tide were ranked No. 4. Oklahoma went in to Tuscaloosa and walked out with a win. That's a better win than what Notre Dame has on its resume, making the Sooners the highest-ranked two-loss team.
8. Alabama (8-2)| LW: 4 — Alabama beat Georgia, which could be enough for the committee to rank the Tide No. 6 in front of Ole Miss who lost to the common opponent Bulldogs. However, the first two rankings showed that the committee also valued head-to-head between teams. That's why Alabama falls behind Oklahoma. The Georgia win keeps the Tide in front of Notre Dame.
9. Notre Dame (8-2)| LW: 9 — Notre Dame didn't just beat Pitt, the Fighting Irish dominated the Panthers. That's a ranked win on the road and it gives what the committee called "a complete team" last week enough on its resume to move in front of another one-loss team.
10. Oregon (9-1)| LW: 8 — Oregon had a ranked win over Iowa last week, but Iowa lost again this week, potentially knocking the Hawkeyes out of the rankings. That means the Ducks won't have a currently-ranked win on its resume in the committee's eyes, allowing a trio of two-loss teams to move in front of them. It'll have a shot to move back up with USC up next.
11. BYU (9-1)| LW: 12 — BYU will move to the edge of the top 10 after a bounce-back win over TCU. That'll make the Cougars the first team out.
12. Miami (Fla.) (8-2) | LW: 15 — Miami is putting together a "consistent" stretch of games that the committee said it would like to see after the first rankings. After a 41-7 win over NC State, Miami moves up in front of teams it was ranked behind for the second straight week.
13. Utah (8-2)| LW: 13 — Utah beat Baylor by 27 points, but the committee has nowhere to move the Utes based on their resume.
14. Vanderbilt (8-2)| LW: 14 — Vanderbilt was the only ranked team with a bye last week, so it wasn't able to prove itself to a committee that wasn't high on its overtime win over Auburn a week ago.
15. Southern California (8-2)| LW: 17 — USC beat a then-ranked Iowa team last week and that win will bump the Trojans into the top 15.
16. Texas (7-3)| LW: 10 — Texas will likely fall below Vanderbilt — despite a head-to-head win — because of the beatdown Georgia put on the Longhorns to give them three losses. However, the committee won't drop the Longhorns below Michigan because a common opponent in Oklahoma.
17. Michigan (8-2)| LW: 18 — Michigan beat Northwestern to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Wolverines now must avoid a trap game against Maryland.
18. Georgia Tech (9-1)| LW: 16 — Georgia Tech only beat a one-win Boston College team by one point. The committee has been big on metrics, and Georgia Tech isn't doing its part via the eye-test to offset its more rating in the metrics. The Yellow Jackets will fall below some teams they were above last week.
19. Virginia (9-2)| LW: 19 — Virginia responded after a loss with a win over Duke. It won't move the needle in either direction for the committee.
20. Tennessee (7-3)| LW: 23 — Tennessee moves into the top 20 after handling business against New Mexico State.
21. Illinois (7-3) | LW: NR — I wouldn't be surprised to see the committee rank Illinois this week. The Fighting Illini have won two straight games and have a win over USC from September on their resume. 
22. Houston (8-2) | LW: NR — Houston is 8-2 with its only losses coming to Texas Tech and West Virginia. Houston's win over Arizona looks better after last week, which helps get the Cougars ranked.
23. Arizona (7-3)| LW: NR — Arizona beat the No. 25 team in the country, Cincinnati. That win plus a 7-3 record might be enough for the committee to give the Wildcats one of the final spots.
24. Tulane (8-2) | LW: NR — Tulane was in the conversations for a top 25 spot last week, per the committee. 9-1 North Texas was not. The committee also said this on leaving James Madison out: "The part that was really hard to overcome for the committee was their schedule strength." All of that leads me to believe that the Green Wave will get a spot in the rankings if any team from the Group of Five does.
25. Pittsburgh (7-3)| LW: 22 — Pitt got blasted by Notre Dame, but in a week where five teams ranked 20 or worse lost, that loss might be the one the committee lets slide, leaving the Panthers in the rankings.

Dropping out: No. 20 Louisville, No. 21 Iowa, No. 24 South Florida, No. 25 Cincinnati

CFP🏆: College Football Playoff rankings release schedule

What the bracket could look like

Fourth conference champion: No. 15 Georgia Tech
Fifth conference champion: South Florida
First Teams Out: No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 12 BYU, No. 13 Utah, No. 14 Vanderbilt

LOOKING AHEAD: 2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule, dates, TV channel, sites 

Notable College Football Playoff rankings questions

How far do Alabama and Texas fall??

The SEC had two top 10 teams lose last week in Alabama and Texas. Where the teams land will help determine the strength of the conference and also give an outlook on how many SEC teams could end up making the playoffs down the road. 

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What new teams will enter the bracket?

Teams Nos. 20, 21, 22, 24 and 25 all lost last week. There's going to be some shuffling at the bottom of the rankings, with new teams bound to be included. The teams the committee selects will provide opportunity for playoff contenders to pad their resumes down the stretch. The new entrants might be just as important as the top of the bracket this week.