College football rankings: Danny Kanell releases updated top 12 after Week 14, end of regular season

The 2025 regular season has concluded and conference championship matchups are set. With that, Danny Kanell has released his updated top 12 following a drama-filled Week 14 in college football.

Texas A&M dropped several spots but remained within Kanell’s top 12 despite losing to Texas, who doesn’t appear on this list. Several teams atop the rankings moved up a spot in its fallout. Notre Dame also dropped down one spot compared to last week’s list.

BYU was the only team that dropped out of the rankings entirely. Who replaced them? See Kanell’s full top 12 below ahead of the final week of the 2025 regular season:

1. Ohio State (-)

Ohio State was able to relieve 2,191 days of pressure by defeating Michigan for the first time since 2019 on Saturday. The victory completed a perfect 12-0 regular season, and has the Buckeyes set to face the similarly undefeated Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship game.

The Buckeyes are in position for a second national championship run in as many seasons once the conference title is decided. Whether they’ll be the No. 1 overall seed in the CFP will be contingent on the outcome of that matchup.

2. Indiana (-)

Indiana is 12-0 for the first time in school history after defeating Purdue 56-3 on Saturday. Now, they’ll get the matchup vs. Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game next weekend.

For the last several weeks, those two schools meeting in the conference championship game seemed inevitable. Now it’s a reality and Indiana has an opportunity to prove itself against the defending national champs.

3. Georgia (+1)

Georgia beat Georgia Tech 16-9 in a low-scoring matchup to add to the one-sided history of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. The win improves the Bulldogs to 11-1 after the regular season and are heading to the SEC Championship as a result.

They’re set to take on a familiar foe in Alabama during the conference title matchup. These two teams met earlier in the season with the Crimson Tide coming away victorious 24-21 on the road.

4. Oregon (+1)

Oregon moves into Kanell’s top four, which would slot the Ducks into a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Ducks aren’t a part of the Big Ten title game, so their resume across the regular season will have to speak for itself.

Defeating Washington 26-14 during Week 14, the Ducks are 11-1 with its only blemish coming to undefeated Indiana in October. Oregon won its final six games of the regular season.

5. Texas Tech (+1)

Texas Tech completed its first 11-win regular season since 2008 following its 49-0 shutout win over West Virginia on Saturday. The Red Raiders finished the year with a perfect record (7-0) at home and 8-1 overall against the Big 12.

They’re set to face BYU in the conference championship game next week, which marks the second time these teams will face off this season. Texas Tech won the first meeting 29-7 on Nov. 8.

6. Ole Miss (+1)

Ole Miss completed its first 11-win regular season in program history following its win over Mississippi State during the Egg Bowl on Friday. However, Lane Kiffin’s decision on where he’s coaching next season loomed large over the matchup.

How the Rebels will respond following the news will be interest to see. They aren’t in the SEC title game, but for now they’re expected to host a first-round game in the CFP.

7. Vanderbilt (NR)

Vanderbilt leaped over several teams this week to make a reappearance on Kanell’s list for the final week of the regular season. This comes after the Commodores dropped 45 points in three-straight games against Auburn and Kentucky at home and Tennessee on the road.

Diego Pavia and company are hitting their stride at the perfect time, and have made a strong case for why the belong in the CFP over the last few weeks. On the bubble with two losses, their future remains entirely up to the committee.

8. Oklahoma (-)

Oklahoma has won three-straight low-scoring battles to conclude its regular season. During that stretch, the Sooners have beaten ranked Alabama and Missouri teams before finishing off the regular season with a 17-13 win over LSU.

Like Vanderbilt, they’re 10-2 and are unable to enhance their case further than what the regular season allowed. The Sooners feel as though they’ve done enough to get in. The question they’re wondering is whether their first-round game will be at home.

9. Alabama (-)

Alabama escaped Jordan-Hare Stadium with a 27-20 victory over Auburn to help improve its record, like Vandy and OU, to 10-2 during the regular season. The difference, however, is that the Crimson Tide is set to take on Georgia in the SEC Championship game next weekend.

A SEC title victory would further shake up the field — and could possibly leave the SEC out of the top four entirely. Notably, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer is 2-0 against Georgia since taking the Alabama job.

10.  Miami (-)

Miami has looked like the bets team in the ACC over the last four weeks. However, two bad losses (in conference play no less) against unranked teams are souring the committee to the ‘Canes. These losses kept Miami out of the ACC title game.

Notably, Kanell is honoring Miami’s head-to-head win over Notre Dame, ranking them ahead of the Irish. This has been a point of debate for fans on both sides of the argument, as the playoff committee currently has Notre Dame ranked ahead of Miami.

11. Texas A&M (-8)

Texas A&M’s loss against Texas not only ruined the Aggies’ chances at its first undefeated season since 1992, but keeps them out of the SEC Championship game as well.

At 11-1, the Aggies are still expected to make the playoffs despite the loss. Their body of work includes a win at Notre Dame and Missouri, both of which were ranked at the time they played.

12. Notre Dame (-1)

Notre Dame had to win its last 10 games of the season, and the Fighting Irish did just that with a 49-20 win over Stanford during Week 14. They’ve won all 10 of those games by double digits along the way.

The question remains whether the Irish will host a playoff game at home in the first round. They’ll have to be seeded between 5-8, but may need some help from the conference title games around them to get there.