The first edition of the 2025 College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday at 8 p.m., providing a preview of where the CFP committee views teams before it ultimately decides who makes the 12-team playoff next month.
Before the first ranking of the year is released, here’s a look at the CFP committee and how they vote on the rankings.
Who is on the College Football Playoff committee?
The 2025 CFP committee is comprised of 12 individuals. The committee includes:
- Former Nevada quarterback and head coach Chris Ault
- Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen
- Former Cincinnati and Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio
- Former Pittsburgh, Arkansas and Kansas athletic director Jeff Long
- Sports journalist Ivan Maisel
- Middle Tennessee State director of athletics Chris Massaro
- Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades
- Former Oregon State and Nebraska head coach Mike Riley
- Miami Ohio athletic director David Sayler
- Former Ole Miss and NFL tight end Wesley Walls
- Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams
- Arkansas director of athletics Hunter Yurachek
Each member of the CFP committee serves a three-year term. This term can be extended one year if certain circumstances warrant, including if the member serves as a chair in what otherwise is their final year.
How the College Football Playoff ranking process works
The CFP committee will release a weekly ranking of the top 25 teams up until Selection Day on Dec. 7, when 12 teams will be chosen for the playoff. The committee will meet in person each week to determine the rankings through the voting procedure detailed below.
The first ranking comes out on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and subsequent rankings will be released on Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Nov. 25, and Dec. 2.
Voting procedure: from ballot to final rankings
The CFP committee uses a seven-round voting process to devise their rankings. Each round includes a listing and ranking step. The listing step allows teams to be considered, and the teams that receive the most votes are then ranked. Here is a look at the rounds:
- Round 1: Rank the top four teams, who will receive first-round byes
- Round 2: Rank teams 5-8, who will host home playoff games
- Round 3: Rank teams 9-12, who will be road playoff teams
- Round 4: Rank teams 13-16
- Round 5: Rank teams 17-19
- Round 6: Rank teams 20-22
- Round 7: Rank teams 23-25
Recused members of the CFP committee
Since multiple members of the CFP committee have ties to certain programs, the committee has a recusal policy that any fully recused member to a team cannot participate in any vote or be present for any discussion regarding that team’s ranking or placement in the playoff bracket. A fully recused member is one who is either receiving direct compensation from the program or has an immediate family member that is a football student-athlete, football staff member or senior administrator at that school.
Here is a list of fully recused members from this year’s committee:
- Appalachian State and Arkansas: Hunter Yuracheck
- Baylor: Mack Rhoades
- Miami Ohio: David Sayler
- Michigan State: Mark Dantonio
- Middle Tennessee State: Chris Massaro
- Nebraska: Troy Dannen
- Nevada: Chris Ault
What criteria does the CFP committee use to evaluate teams?
The CFP committee uses strength of schedule, head-to-head results and compares results against common opponents to evaluate teams as they make their rankings. They additionally consider the unavailability of players or coaches that either affected the team during the regular season or could impact them in the postseason. The committee also uses statistical data, analytics and reviews game film to help make their rankings.
How final selections and seeding are determined
The final rankings take place on Selection Day. This date is one day after the conclusion of conference championship games and will also be when the 12 teams are selected into the CFP.
The four highest seeds will be ranked No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 and will receive byes in the first round of the playoff. The remaining eight teams will be seeded 5-12. Since the five highest-ranked conference champions make the playoff, if the fifth conference champion is not ranked in the top-12, they will receive the No. 12 seed.
The first round of the playoff will see matchups between the No. 5 and No. 12 seeds, No. 6 and No. 11 seeds, No. 7 and No. 10 seeds and No. 8 and No. 9 seeds. In the quarterfinal, the No. 1 seed faces the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game, the No. 2 seed faces the winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10, the No. 3 will face the winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11 and the No. 4 will face the winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12.
When assigning the quarterfinal sites, contract-bowl relationships will be the top priority when deciding which team plays at which bowl, but seedings and rankings could impact the eventual assignment. For assigning the semifinal site for the No. 1 seed, geographical proximity will be used.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Voting for the College Football Playoff Committee Works.
