The second installment of the College Football Playoff rankings is out, and there’s nothing to get excited about right now. This is an encouragement and a disappointment.
It means the 2025 version of the committee is doing OK — sure, Texas A&M still deserves to be ranked ahead of Indiana, and Notre Dame remains too high. But there’s nothing worth so much as an all-caps rebuke. It’s fine. This also means ESPN is light on spice for its contrived weekly drama, at least for now. YouTube TV subscribers, you were better off Tuesday with hoops on FSI anyway.
So we’re doing our own rankings this week, using the top 25 teams the committee just put forth. One of them will win the national championship — sorry, Missouri, which just fell out after last week’s loss to Texas A&M, but I’m just not seeing it. Our champion is on the board.
Who would we, as a college football nation, be most OK with winning it? Which team would most nauseate us? Here’s an attempt to read the very large room. Remember, if your team is near the bottom of this list, it’s probably because it’s usually very good and annoys people.
1. Oregon: Let’s start by acknowledging that completely out-of-nowhere champions don’t satisfy the masses. Think of March Madness. Everyone loves the underdog early. Saint Peter’s beating Kentucky is amazing. Saint Peter’s getting to the second weekend, hell yes. But maybe the Final Four was OK without Doug Edert’s stupendous mustache? Oregon winning it all makes sense to people. This is the best program that has never done it. The Ducks have been close. Quarterback Dante Moore is fun to watch. Coach Dan Lanning is likable. The uniforms are mostly cool. Let’s give it a quack.
2. Texas A&M: Already, so many of you are shaking your heads. This is essentially a hate list, isn’t it? But the Aggies are here because they make sense as a national champion, they haven’t been one since 1939 (if we’re even counting that), they have a coach in Mike Elko who comes off as an adult, and I don’t think they catch as much of the general SEC hatred around the nation as longer-standing members of the conference. Quarterback Marcel Reed is going to gain a lot of fans during the Playoff to come, count on that. Still … yell practice. Ugh.
3. Indiana: A lot of people would put the Hoosiers first. It would be amazing for college football if they won it all — because of all the history that would be trampled and because of what it would say for opportunity in this maligned era of the sport. Indiana can do it, too. But some traditionalists still can’t wrap their minds around that. And Curt Cignetti is rapidly moving into despised coach territory, just as he likes it.
4. BYU: Kalani Sitake coaching and a freshman named Bear quarterbacking. A conference other than the SEC or Big Ten winning it for the first time since 2018. These are all things to like. This is also the first team listed that doesn’t look like it has much of a chance, considering Saturday’s 29-7 loss to Texas Tech.
5. Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin is 50, but it’s almost like he has gone from adolescence to adulthood during his journey from Tennessee coach in 2009 to his current status as the man many administrators want to lead their program. He’s still a social media troll. But the jokes seem funnier, and it will be a rollicking ride for all if his team makes a run. SEC, yes, but a traditional SEC have-not.
6. Texas Tech: Some would put the Red Raiders No. 1 because this would be confirmation: Get out there and spend the money and you can go get yourself a championship. Some don’t want the Red Raiders to be rewarded for their approach, though, and some of that probably has to do with all those Cody Campbell commercials about the freaking Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.
7. Vanderbilt: There’s no one else with a realistic chance of winning it that could be stomached even a little bit by anyone but their own fans, so we’ve moved into the “Doesn’t seem right that this team could go that far, but what the heck!” section of the rankings. Diego Pavia and Clark Lea are the heroes you need, even if you don’t know it yet.
8. Georgia Tech: Another rising coach (Brent Key) and entertaining dual-threat quarterback (Haynes King), leading a program that is second fiddle in its own city. Vandy beat Georgia Tech 35-27 in last season’s Birmingham Bowl. Maybe we’ll get a much more important rematch.
9. USF: I mean, let’s just go Group of 5 and be done with it. Alex Golesh’s team is a ton of fun to watch, running a version of the Art Briles offense that he coordinated for Josh Heupel at Tennessee, with Byrum Brown running over people when he isn’t throwing touchdown passes.
10. Utah: Entertainment value matters, and Devon Dampier certainly brings that when he gets going.
11. Pittsburgh: Same idea here — Pitt is known for Pat Narduzzi’s defense, but freshman quarterback Maison Hentschel and senior running back Dez Reid are electric.
12. Louisville: The Cardinals throw it around with Miller Moss in Jeff Brohm’s offense. They also probably just played themselves out of the Playoff with a home loss to Cal.
13. Virginia: The Wahoos bring up the rear in this trio of non-offensive ACC hopefuls. If Virginia somehow gets in, the luckiest college football season of all time may be attainable.
14. Cincinnati: Does this bore you as much as it bores me? Put some respect on quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s name (and ignore what Utah just did to him).
15. Iowa: Did someone say boring? Kirk Ferentz, the Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach, should command some sentimental support.
16. Tennessee: The Vols are fun. They’re orange. And it’s been a long time with a lot of hardship since winning the very first BCS championship to cap the 1998 season.
17. Oklahoma: Hey, it’s been almost as long for the Sooners — the year 2000, when Heupel ran Mike Leach’s offense and led Bob Stoops’ second team all the way. Still, the Sooners have knocked on the door many times and aren’t an especially welcome sight.
18. Miami: Carson Beck leading the “U” to the top would be a nice redemption story. Actually looked feasible for a lot of this season, too.
19. USC: They’ve been bad for a while, so maybe not quite as objectionable? Also, few players are as fun to watch as Makai Lemon.
20. Texas: Arch Manning, from ridiculously overhyped player to ridiculously overanalyzed player to somewhat sympathetic figure.
21. Michigan: At least Jim Harbaugh isn’t coaching the Wolverines anymore, and the cheating has been quietly acknowledged.
22. Notre Dame: Gobble some Tums.
23. Alabama: This calls for something prescription strength.
24. Georgia: Try some fresh air? Some ginger ale?
25. Ohio State: Just grab a bucket.