College Football Playoff rankings: Ohio State, Georgia lead CFP top 25 poll

The official College Football Playoff rankings are in

A week ago, the College Football Playoff selection committee surprised some by announcing that Ohio State, and not defending champion Georgia, was the No. 1 team in the first official top 25 rankings. Now, as we move into Week 11, the selectors have decided to stay the course at the top of the poll.

• Georgia took down ranked Missouri in a key head-to-head matchup
• Michigan, Ohio State stay undefeated, though Buckeyes played Rutgers close early
• Washington put down USC to stay undefeated, No. 1 in Pac-12 standings
• Texas held off Kansas State in battle of Big 12 title contenders
• Sooners dropped a second straight game, in the final Bedlam matchup
• Alabama shuts down LSU in critical SEC West clash, Crimson Tide now favored to meet Bulldogs in Atlanta

College Football Playoff top 25 rankings

1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Michigan
4. Florida State
5. Washington
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Alabama
9. Ole Miss
10. Penn State
11. Louisville
12. Oregon State
13. Tennessee
14. Missouri
15. Oklahoma State
16. Kansas
17. Oklahoma
18. Utah
19. LSU
20. Notre Dame
21. Arizona
22. Iowa
23. Tulane
24. North Carolina 
25. Kansas State

What the playoff would look like today

No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Michigan. The presumptive favorite in the SEC against the odds-on favorite in the Big Ten in a rematch of the Orange Bowl semifinal two years ago.

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Florida State. A Big Ten vs. ACC matchup pitting a Seminole offense that has scored 30-plus points in 14 straight games against college football's 2nd ranked scoring defense allowing 10 points per game.

What a 12-team playoff would look like

• Tulane* at Michigan
• Louisville at Oregon
• Penn State at Texas
• Ole Miss at Alabama

First-Round Byes: Ohio State (Big Ten champion), Georgia (SEC champion), Florida State (ACC champion), Washington (Pac-12 champion)

* Tulane is the highest-ranked Group of Five team

Week 11 games that will impact the rankings

Michigan at Penn State. A landmark Big Ten East battle pitting the undefeated, conference-favorite Wolverines against a Nittany Lions team eager to make a statement that it belongs in the divisional pecking order.

Miami at Florida State. The Seminoles have already clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game, but have to be on guard against a possible trap against a Hurricanes team that is a traditional rival.

Utah at Washington. The undefeated Huskies are fresh off a big win over USC and head right into another key matchup against a Utes team that's playing strong defense.

Tennessee at Missouri. SEC East contenders fight for a spot at No. 2 in the division, the Tigers coming off a loss to Georgia and the Vols looking forward to a matchup against the Bulldogs next week.

Ole Miss at Georgia. The Rebels sit at one loss and need to beat the Bulldogs and MSU while hoping Alabama loses its two final SEC games in order to win the West Division. That's unlikely, but this is still a major test and a chance to make a statement. And for the defending champs to notch another win over a ranked team.

USC at Oregon. Already at one loss, the Ducks can't afford to make a mistake if they want to stay in the College Football Playoff chase.

College football playoff rankings criteria

College Football Playoff selectors create top 25 rankings based on their evaluation of teams’ performance on the field.

The committee employs several metrics to select the best teams.

• Strength of schedule
• Head-to-head game results
• Results vs. teams in top 25 rankings
• Results vs. common opponents
• Conference championships

College Football Playoff electors also use advanced analytics to gauge teams’ play, but those numbers don’t play a formal role in the committee creating its top 25 rankings.

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