The much-anticipated College Football Playoff rankings have been revealed, setting the stage for thrilling matchups ahead.

In the latest rankings, Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma have secured the fifth to eighth spots, respectively, and are preparing to defend their turf in upcoming home games.

First round is set

Texas A&M is set to face off against No. 10 Miami, promising an exciting clash. Meanwhile, Oklahoma gears up for a highly anticipated rematch as they host No. 9 Alabama. Ole Miss will take on the American Conference champions, Tulane, who are ranked 11th. In another compelling encounter, No. 12 James Madison, fresh from clinching the Sun Belt championship, will travel to Eugene to challenge No. 5 Oregon.

Oregon (5), Ole Miss (6), Texas A&M (7) and Oklahoma (8) will each be playing at home after earning spots 5-8 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Texas A&M will host No. 10 Miami. Oklahoma will welcome No. 9 Alabama for a rematch. Ole Miss takes American Conference-winner Tulane (11). Lastly, No. 12 James Madison, fresh off a Sun Belt championship win, will head to Eugene to take on No. 5 Oregon.

Top four, first-round bye’s solidified

As expected, the Hoosiers earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye after beating Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday.

Despite the loss, the committee opted to rank Ohio State No. 2 ahead of SEC champion Georgia. The Bulldogs earned their second straight first-round bye and top four ranking in the CFP bracket, coming in at No. 3.

Texas Tech rounded out the top four after beating BYU on Saturday. All four teams get the luxury of having the first round off and will resume game action in the quarterfinals.

Alabama would be out, James Madison in if CFP bracket echoes AP Top 25

By ERIC OLSON

Alabama would be on the outside looking if the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final rankings echo the new AP Top 25 poll. So would BYU, Vanderbilt and Texas.

And for the first time, there would be two Group of Five schools in the playoff, with James Madison joining Tulane on the bracket.

Here’s how the CFP bracket would look if it were based on the AP poll:

— No. 9 seed Notre Dame at No. 8 seed Oklahoma. Winner vs. No. 1 Indiana.

— No. 12 seed James Madison at No. 5 Oregon. Winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech.

— No. 10 seed Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M. Winner vs. No. 2 Georgia.

— No. 11 seed Tulane at No. 6 Mississippi. Winner vs. No. 3 Ohio State.

Top four teams in AP poll should land top CFP seeds

The order of teams in the AP poll and CFP rankings have been similar since the playoff selection committee started putting out its top 25 in November.

Indiana, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas Tech are the top four teams in the new AP poll. They were also the top four in last week’s CFP rankings and it’s a good bet the bracket will award those teams top-four seeds and first-round byes. It’s possible the committee would put Ohio State second and Georgia third based on the narrow margin of victory in the Big Ten title game.

Mississippi, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Miami are teams 6 through 10 in the AP poll. AP voters moved Miami up two spots — ahead of Alabama and BYU. The Hurricanes will be hoping the committee follows suit, which would grant them an at-large bid.

AP Top 25 poll rankings

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

1. Indiana

2. Georgia

3. Ohio State

4. Texas Tech

5. Oregon

6. Ole Miss

7. Texas A&M

8. Oklahoma

9. Notre Dame

10. Miami (Fla.)

11. Alabama

12. BYU

13. Vanderbilt

14. Texas

15. Utah

16. USC

17. Tulane

18. Michigan

19. James Madison

20. Virginia

21. Arizona

22. Navy

23. North Texas

24. Georgia Tech

25. Missouri

Mighty Hoosiers

By DAVE ZELIO

Indiana’s Tyrique Tucker and Drew Evans celebrate after the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

One team that doesn’t have to sweat much today about the College Football Playoff announcement: Indiana.

At 13-0, the Hoosiers are the last unbeaten team in major college football after beating Ohio State in a thriller for their first outright championship since 1945. By beating the Buckeyes, Indiana ended the nation’s longest active winning streak at 16 and the Big Ten’s longest winning streak in a series between two teams.

In between, the Hoosiers shed the label of FBS’ losing-est program, too.

Most expect Indiana to grab AP’s No. 1 ranking and get the No. 1 CFP seed later today.

What about the ACC?

Duke tight end Jeremiah Hasley (85) scores a touchdown against Virginia in overtime of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Duke’s overtime win against No. 16 Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game was something of a doomsday scenario for the league when it comes to the College Football Playoff.

The five-loss Blue Devils were unranked in the CFP, which raises the potential that the ACC could get shut out of the 12-team playoff later today. Sun Belt champion James Madison could secure the last automatic bid that goes to the five highest-ranked conference champions; three of those –- the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC -– are locks and American champ Tulane is considered the fourth.

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips says his league deserves two bids: one for No. 12 Miami as an at-large team and one for Saturday’s title-game winner.

Nailbiter night

Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami fans probably had something of a sleepless night ahead of the College Football Playoff bracket announcement.

Last week’s CFP rankings moved Alabama up a spot, raising the idea that the Crimson Tide have a cushion to make the bracket even if they lost to Georgia in the SEC championship game, which they did.

Notre Dame has won 10 straight games convincingly since starting 0-2, but had a lighter schedule than both Alabama and Miami, which handed the Fighting Irish one of those losses. Altogether those factors complicate the bottom of the playoff bracket.

Bracket Day!

It’s one of the biggest days on the calendar in college sports: The College Football Playoff will release its second 12-team bracket to kick off the postseason chase for the national championship.

We will kick things off soon with the final regular-season AP Top 25 football poll, so keep an eye for changes there that could foreshadow what you see in the CFP bracket.

There are eight teams that can feel pretty good about making the CFP, from Indiana to Ohio State and Georgia to Texas Tech and Ole Miss.

The final four slots are something else entirely. There is a lot of uncertainty on those and we will update you throughout the bracket release.

Who votes in the poll, and how does it work?

AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.

There is a 1-to-25 point system, with a team voted No. 1 receiving 25 points down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote. After that, it’s simple: The poll lists the teams with the most points from 1 to 25, and others receiving votes are also noted.

Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.