The 2023 college football season is getting long in the tooth with just a few weeks left in the regular season before the conference championship games and last set of College Football Playoff rankings that will determine who plays for a national title.
Ohio State is, of course, right in the mix as one of the few remaining unbeaten Power Five teams, but there’s still a few weeks to do and teams like Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Florida State, and Alabama will have a say as to who represents the final four teams that hope to end things out in Houston on Jan. 8.
We got our first look at the College Football Playoff rankings last Tuesday and yes, Ohio State was ranked No. 1, mainly because of the body of work it has put together with wins over a couple of top 15 teams. However, each week will change the résumé of all the teams because of how intertwined and complex like opponents, wins over ranked teams, close losses, and the eye-test all play into whatever the CFP committee is looking at.
Each week, we’ll dive in and give it the old “college try” to peer into the crystal ball and give our opinion on what the latest CFP rankings could look like. And yeah, we were pretty good at it last week, predicting the top six teams in the exact order. We won’t promise that will be the case every week, but we’ll do our best.
Here’s a look at what we think the top 25 of the College Football Playoff rankings might look like when we get our second release on Tuesday.
25
James Madison (9-0)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. UConn |
| 11/18 | vs. Appalachian State |
| 11/25 | at Coastal Carolina |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: N/A
Last Result: Won at Georgia State, 42-14
24
Tulane Green Wave (8-1)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Tulsa |
| 11/18 | at FAU |
| 11/25 | vs. UTSA |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 24
Last Result: Won at East Carolina, 13-10
23
Iowa Hawkeyes (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Rutgers |
| 11/18 | vs. Illinois |
| 11/24 | at Nebraska |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: N/A
Last Result: Won vs. Northwestern, 10-7
22
Arizona Wildcats (6-3)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at Colorado |
| 11/18 | vs. Utah |
| 11/25 | at Arizona State |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: N/A
Last Result: Won vs. UCLA, 27-10
21
North Carolina Tar Heels (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Duke |
| 11/18 | at Clemson |
| 11/25 | at NC State |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: N/A
Last Result: Won vs. Campbell, 59-7
20
LSU Tigers (6-3)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at Washington |
| 11/18 | at Arizona |
| 11/25 | vs. Colorado |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 14
Last Result: Lost at Alabama, 42-28
19
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-3)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/18 | vs. Wake Forest |
| 11/25 | at Stanford |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 15
Last Result: Lost at Clemson, 31-23
18
Oklahoma Sooners (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. West Virginia |
| 11/18 | at BYU |
| 11/24 | vs. TCU |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 9
Last Result: Lost at Oklahoma State, 27-24
17
Kansas Jayhawks (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Texas Tech |
| 11/18 | vs. Kansas State |
| 11/25 | at Cincinnati |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 21
Last Result: Won at Iowa State, 28-21
16
Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at UCF |
| 11/18 | at Houston |
| 11/25 | vs. BYU |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 22
Last Result: Won vs. Oklahoma, 27-24
15
Utah Utes (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at Washington |
| 11/18 | at Arizona |
| 11/25 | vs. Colorado |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 18
Last Result: Won vs. Arizona State, 55-3
14
Tennessee Volunteers (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at Missouri |
| 11/18 | vs. Georgia |
| 11/25 | vs. Vanderbilt |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 17
Last Result: Won vs. UConn, 59-3
13
Missouri Tigers (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Tennessee |
| 11/18 | vs. Florida |
| 11/24 | at Arkansas |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 12
Last Result: Lost at Georgia, 30-21
12
Oregon State Beavers (7-2)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Stanford |
| 11/18 | vs. Washington |
| 11/24 | at Oregon |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 16
Last Result: Won at Colorado, 26-19
11
Louisville Cardinals (8-1)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/9 | vs. Virginia |
| 11/18 | at Miami (FL) |
| 11/25 | vs. Kentucky |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 13
Last Result: Won vs. Virginia Tech, 34-3
10
Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Michigan |
| 11/18 | vs. Rutgers |
| 11/24 | at Michigan State |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 11
Last Result: Won at Maryland, 51-15
Why the Ranking
Penn State’s lone loss is the one at Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have looked downright dominant aside from that and the one exception against Indiana after the emotional and physical toll against the Buckeyes. If James Franklin get somehow get his crew to spring the upset of Michigan in Happy Valley next week there’s going to be a major shakeup.
9
Ole Miss Rebels (8-1)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at Georgia |
| 11/18 | vs. UL Monroe |
| 11/23 | at Mississippi State |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 10
Last Result: Won vs. Texas A&M, 38-35
Why the Ranking
Ole Miss hasn’t really gotten a lot of attention, but Lane Kiffin’s crew just keeps on finding ways to win. Look for the Rebels to move up after Oklahoma’s loss in the last scheduled Bedlam. Can Ole Miss give Georgia a game next week?
8
Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at Kentucky |
| 11/18 | vs. Chattanooga |
| 11/25 | at Auburn |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 8
Last Result: Won vs. LSU, 42-28
Why the Ranking
Alabama has looked very much improved but still has the loss to Texas, so don’t expect the committee to move the Tide above the Longhorns at this point. If they can beat Georgia in the SEC Championship game, things could get interesting.
7
Texas Longhorns (8-1)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at TCU |
| 11/18 | at Iowa State |
| 11/24 | vs. Texas Tech |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 8
Last Result: Won vs. Kansas State, 33-30
Why the Ranking
Texas is dealing with an injury at the quarterback position but was able to outlast Kansas State last week. If it weren’t for the win over Alabama, the Longhorns may have been jumped and are surely anticipating the return of Quinn Ewers. The schedule is fairly manageable the rest of the regular season.
6
Oregon Ducks (8-1)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. USC |
| 11/18 | at Arizona State |
| 11/24 | vs. Oregon State |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 6
Last Result: Won vs. Cal, 63-19
Why the Ranking
Oregon scored more points against Cal than I usually do playing Madden on an extended minutes setting, and has looked like one of the best teams in the country as of late. When teams above the Ducks begin to stumble, they’ll be ready to win a head-to-head comparison against almost anyone.
5
Washington Huskies (9-0)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Utah |
| 11/18 | at Oregon State |
| 11/24 | vs. Washington State |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 5
Last Result: Won at USC, 52-42
Why the Ranking
The Oregon Ducks have looked better over the last couple of weeks, but there’s still the head-to-head that Washington owns and that’s not going to change when comparing a one-loss team to an undefeated one. The Huskies made USC QB Caleb Williams cry in an offensive explosion, but if they stumble don’t be surprised if Oregon leapfrogs them head-to-head advantage or not.
4
Florida State Seminoles (9-0)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Miami (FL) |
| 11/18 | vs. North Alabama |
| 11/25 | at Florida |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 4
Last Result: Won at Pitt, 24-7
WHy the Ranking
Much like Michigan, there’s really no reason right now to move the Seminoles anywhere from where they were in the initial release of the CFP rankings. Florida State had a pretty ho-hum win against Pitt and shouldn’t really move the needle either way at this point.
3
Michigan Wolverines (9-0)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | at Penn State |
| 11/18 | at Maryland |
| 11/25 | vs. Ohio State |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 3
Last Result: Won vs. Purdue, 41-13
Why the Ranking
Michigan did what it was more-or-less supposed to to against Purdue and there’s really no reason to move the Wolverines up or down this week. It’s really a wait and see type of situation for next week’s game on the road vs. Penn State.
2
Georgia Bulldogs (9-0)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Ole Miss |
| 11/18 | at Tennessee |
| 11/25 | at Georgia Tech |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 2
Last Result: Won vs. Missouri, 30-21
Why the Ranking
Georgia was No. 2 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, but beat No. 12 Missouri on Saturday to improve the resume a bit. I still think it’s not quite enough to overtake Ohio State this week, but the Bulldogs are inching ever so closer. Had it been a blowout over Mizzou I think we would have seen a flip here. It was not and I’m not sure we will like others seem to think.
1
Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| 11/11 | vs. Michigan State |
| 11/18 | vs. Minnesota |
| 11/25 | at Michigan |
Last Week’s CFP Ranking: 1
Last Result: Won at Rutgers, 35-16
Why the Ranking
Ohio State didn’t exactly look impressive against Rutgers, but the teams right below the Buckeyes didn’t either. Notre Dame losing at Clemson isn’t going to help things in the eyes of the committee, but Penn State’s destruction of Maryland might even things out a bit. OSU, I think, holds off Georgia and other this week, but that may not last.
