The third College Football Playoff rankings are out with some key shakeups inside the top 10



The third edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings was released Tuesday night with undefeated Ohio State remaining No. 1 ahead of Indiana and the top 10 experiencing some key alterations. Just three weeks remain until the final College Football Playoff bracket is selected, and there is no telling what upsets may be in store for the top teams in the nation with two weeks left in the regular season.

A pair of top-tier SEC matchups created a new No. 4 team in the nation. Alabama vacated that spot amid a 23-21 home loss to Oklahoma with Georgia sliding into first-round bye position after dominating Texas, 35-10. The Sooners now sit No. 8, two spots ahead of the Crimson Tide.

No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 5 Texas Tech round out the top five.

The reigning national champion Buckeyes are seeking their seventh playoff appearance in 12 years of the postseason bracket's existence (2014, 2016, 2019-20, 2022, 2024). Ohio State's final game against a ranked opponent comes in its regular-season finale against Michigan.

Eight of the 11 teams ranked No. 1 in a season's initial CFP Rankings ultimately reached the playoff, an effort now made easier with the expanded 12-team field, which is being contested for a second season.

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Currently projected to meet OSU in the Big Ten Championship Game is Indiana after both teams won by double digits on Saturday. IU enjoys a late off week before playing Big Ten basement dweller Purdue in Week 14.

Miami (FL), despite being ranked No. 13, takes the 11th projected bid as the highest-rated team from the ACC. However, with the Hurricanes unlikely to play in the ACC Championship Game -- projected as Georgia Tech vs. Virginia -- they will almost assuredly need to earn a spot as an at-large team.

Tulane claims the last of the 12 playoff spots as the highest-ranked Group of Five team in Tuesday's release at No. 24. With the 12-team playoff model granting automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions, the Green Wave are presently projected to win the American and grab the final spot in the field. Should a Group of Five team not make the final rankings, the CFP Selection Committee would choose which champion deserved the last bid.

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