College Football Playoff Rankings Projection: CBS Sports predicts second CFP Top 25

The second College Football Playoff selection committee rankings are set to be released on Tuesday night. Ahead of that, CBS Sports released its prediction for the second CFP Top 25 rankings.

With every week, the CFP selection committee has more data points to use. They are also given the task of re-ranking each team every week by those new resumes. That means that the College Football Playoff could have a completely new looking rankings by the end of the night on Tuesday.

Keeping all that in mind, here’s a look at how CBS Sports is predicting the new CFP Top 25 shakes out. As always, the rankings start at No. 1 with Ohio State.

1. Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes opened at No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings and CBS Sports expects them to remain there. This comes on the heels of a comfortable win against Purdue, which moved the Buckeyes to 9-0 on the season.

From here, Ohio State is in a fairly comfortable position to make it back to the CFP. If the Buckeyes win out, they’ll likely find themselves as the top seed. That, of course, would include wins against Michigan and a Big Ten Championship opponent, though, so it is easier said than done.

2. Indiana

The Indiana Hoosiers got a scare over the weekend, needing a miracle catch in the final minute to avoid an upset in Happy Valley. They did avoid that upset, though, and now CBS Sports has the Hoosiers sitting second in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Indiana is in the middle of the best two-year run in program history. As one of two unbeaten Big Ten teams, they control their own destiny and appear to be on a collision course with Ohio State for the Big Ten Championship. There, they can make some more history.

3. Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Aggies are the last unbeaten SEC school and one of two SEC schools unbeaten in conference play. Coming off a big win on the road against Missouri, the Aggies have solidified a high spot in the College Football Playoff rankings. The only question is how high.

The Aggies are going to play an interesting final three games. That includes two SEC opponents, though the highlight is their final regular season game against Texas. Nothing is set in stone yet, so avoiding upsets through that time is going to be massive.

4. Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide added a win over LSU on Saturday in what proved to be a phenomenal defensive effort. With that, CBS Sports is predicting that the Crimson Tide hold steady at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The Crimson Tide are in a good spot overall. Unbeaten in SEC play with several marquee wins, it’s a strong resume if Alabama needs to be an at-large. However, given they’re unbeaten in SEC play, they actually control their own destiny with a conference championship.

5. Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs earned a comfortable win over Mississippi State over the weekend. It was an effort that they seemed to dominate from start to finish. That was good to see too, after the Bulldogs have had several slow starts.

In the next few weeks, Georgia has a tough schedule, with games against Texas and Georgia Tech. That’s going to give them a chance to stamp their resume. At the same time, it could also add losses that nobody wants to take late in the year during a College Football Playoff push.

6. Texas Tech

Over the weekend, Texas Tech added a massive win over BYU. Now, they’re one of three teams in the Big 12 with just one loss in conference play and hold that tiebreaker. So, the Red Raiders are comfortable.

CBS Sports is predicting that the win helps Texas Tech out a little too. If they come in at No. 6, that’s going to be up two spots from last week’s CFP rankings. Getting ranked just as highly as possible is helpful too, in case Texas Tech doesn’t manage to win the Big 12.

7. Ole Miss

Ole Miss had a blowout win over The Citadel this past weekend. The Rebels looked plenty impressive in that game, but that opponent probably won’t move the needle for many folks on the CFP selection committee. So, CBS Sports actually has them dropping a spot.

Now, Ole Miss is set to return to SEC play, wrapping up the season with Florida and Mississippi State. Those are both games the Rebels should be favored to win. So, it’s about keeping focused going into the final stretch of the regular season.

8. Oregon

The Oregon Ducks had to survive a scare against Iowa. That saw the Hawkeyes take a lead with under two minutes left to play, only for the Ducks to go down and kick a game-winning field goal. With that, Oregon held on to their status as a one-loss team.

CBS Sports is predicting that Oregon comes in at No. 8 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings. That would be moving up a spot from last week, partially thanks to the expectation that BYU slips back a few spots and partially a credit for winning in a tough road environment.

9. Notre Dame

Notre Dame comes in at No. 9 in the CBS predictions for the CFP rankings. This comes after a blowout win over Navy, which allowed the Irish to flex their muscles. It would also, if this prediction holds true, see Notre Dame moving up a spot.

The Irish don’t have a conference to win. So, that’s going to force them to get in as an at-large bid. With two losses already, a third would likely sink their season.

10. Texas

The Texas Longhorns round out the Top 10 that CBS is predicting for this week’s College Football Playoff rankings. A two-loss team coming off a bye week, the Longhorns have won four games in a row, and given that only one of their losses was in conference play, Texas could still make the SEC Championship Game with some help.

The upcoming schedule won’t be easy, though. Three SEC games remain for the Longhorns. That includes Georgia, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. Winning out won’t be easy to do, but it’s also not impossible if the Longhorns can keep improving.

CBS Sports College Football Playoff Top 25 predictions

11. Oklahoma
12. BYU
13. Vanderbilt
14. Utah
15. Georgia Tech
16. Miami
17. USC
18. Michigan
19. Virginia
20. Louisville
21. Pitt
22. Iowa
23. Tennessee
24. Cincinnati
25. USF