College Football Playoff rankings: Alabama, Ole Miss fall in Week 14 bracket

Who's in and who's out in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and bracket projection as we move into the Week 14 season finale.

What teams moved up, and down, in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and bracket projection in Week 14. / USA Today Sports | Imagn

Coming off an eventful weekend of prove-it moments that separated the contenders from the pretenders, the College Football Playoff selection committee has revealed its fourth top 25 rankings.

There was some notable change in the rankings and bracket projection after a pair of SEC hopefuls lost on the road, as Alabama and Ole Miss potentially played their way out of playoff contention, while the Big 12 finds itself very crowded at the top, with up to nine teams still technically in the mix.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive the No. 1 through No. 4 seeds and first-round byes in the playoff, while the next seven highest-ranked teams and the fifth-best conference champion are seeded No. 5 through No. 12 in their ranking order.

Where do things stand in the first College Football Playoff rankings?

Let’s take a look at what teams landed where in the first top 25 poll, according to the selection committee, and then another glance at what the playoff would look like if it started today.

College Football Playoff rankings for Week 14

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame
6. Miami
7. Georgia
8. Tennessee
9. SMU
10. Indiana
11. Boise State
12. Clemson
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss
15. South Carolina
16. Arizona State
17. Tulane
18. Iowa State
19. BYU
20. Texas A&M
21. Missouri
22. UNLV
23. Illinois
24. Kansas State
25. Colorado

How did we do? Our prediction for the College Football Playoff rankings, bracket

What the College Football Playoff looks like today

Playoff seeding is not necessarily the same as the CFP top 25 rankings position, given some teams will be given higher seeds as conference champions

First-Round Byes

No. 1 Oregon
Projected Big Ten champion

No. 2 Texas
Projected SEC champion

No. 3 Miami
Projected ACC champion

No. 4 Boise State
Projected Mountain West champion

First-Round Games

No. 12 Arizona State at
No. 5 Ohio State
Winner plays No. 4 Boise State

No. 9 Tennessee at
No. 8 Georgia
Winner plays No. 1 Oregon

No. 11 Indiana at
No. 6 Penn State
Winner plays No. 3 Miami

No. 10 SMU at
No. 7 Notre Dame
Winner plays No. 2 Texas

First team out: Clemson

Second team out: Alabama

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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