College Football Rankings: Top 5 Stable as Oregon and Ole Miss Swap Spots at 6-7
As the 2025 college football season nears its climax, the latest College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings released on Tuesday night have kept the top five teams unchanged, while the most notable shifts occurred around the No. 6 and No. 7 spots. Oregon and Ole Miss have flipped positions, highlighting the intense jockeying for playoff positioning as December approaches.
The top five teams in the CFP rankings remain:
1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Georgia
5. Texas Tech (CBS Sports) / Oregon (AP, ESPN) — slight variation among polls
The clearest change involved the No. 6 and No. 7 spots. Oregon, fresh off an impressive victory over Southern California in a rare game between ranked teams last week, moved ahead of Ole Miss, which did not play last week. This flip-flop underscores the committee’s focus on recent performances to adjust rankings accordingly as the postseason nears.
On the AP Top 25 released Nov. 23, Oregon was ranked No. 5 and Ole Miss No. 6. Meanwhile, CBS Sports and ESPN polls show some slight variances, but all recognize a close competition between these two teams near the playoff bubble. The trend has Oregon nudging ahead of Ole Miss in several rankings following their strong showing against USC.
Other notable movements include Miami rising to No. 12 after a strong performance against Kansas State, swapping spots with Utah, which barely edged out K-State but allowed 472 rushing yards. This change highlights the committee’s detailed comparisons among closely ranked teams such as Miami, Notre Dame, Alabama, and BYU, all vying for at-large bids to the playoff.
Committee chairman Gary Barta has emphasized that factors like key player availability and coaching stability, such as the uncertainty surrounding Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, are part of the rankings’ considerations. However, such issues are only addressed when concretely impacting a team’s performance, with no speculative adjustments made.[4]
The rankings continue to evolve as more teams finish their seasons and the playoff selection date of December 7 approaches. For now, the stability at the top and the battles for the critical No. 6 and 7 spots set the stage for an exciting conclusion to the regular season and make the upcoming games vitally important for teams on the cusp of the playoff bracket.
Summary of Top 10 Teams in Recent Rankings:
| Rank | Team | Record | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | 11-0 | — |
| 2 | Indiana | 11-0 | — |
| 3 | Texas A&M | 11-0 | — |
| 4 | Georgia | 10-1 | — |
| 5 | Oregon / Texas Tech | 10-1 | +1 |
| 6 | Ole Miss / Oregon | 10-1 | +1 |
| 7 | Texas Tech / Ole Miss | 10-1 | – |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 9-2 | – |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 9-2 | – |
| 10 | Alabama | 9-2 | – |
The select committee will release the final rankings on Dec. 7, which will set the official playoff bracket to begin the tournament on December 19, marking the crucial transition from regular season battles to postseason competition.[4][5]
This period is shaping up to be a pivotal week for teams ranked close behind the top five, as the margin for error shrinks with every game. The rivalry and competition for the College Football Playoff remain fierce, emphasizing both performance consistency and strength of schedule.