CFP rankings live updates (2024)

Georgia ranked No. 1 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

• No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Florida State round out the top four in the rankings.
• No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oregon were the first two teams left out of playoff contention.
• The top four teams are all 10-0, with Michigan and Ohio State squaring off in a Big Ten showdown on Nov. 25.

With the 12-team College Football Playoff coming next season, The Athletic is using this season’s latest CFP selection committee rankings to illustrate how the new format will work.

Here’s how the bracket would be seeded and the site locations determined using the committee’s Nov. 14 rankings and the CFP’s previously announced 2024-25 game dates:

The “Michigan hasn’t played anyone” argument was finally put to rest after the Wolverines beat Penn State, the No. 12 team in this week’s rankings. That 24-15 victory wasn’t enough to move Michigan ahead of Ohio State or Georgia, but kept them firmly entrenched in the top four.

After waiting a long time for their first test, the Wolverines got a big one, playing a talented Penn State team on the road the day after Jim Harbaugh was suspended. They stayed unbeaten and will have a case to be No. 1 if they win their next two games against Maryland and Ohio State.

People might scoff at Iowa climbing up to No. 16 but the Hawkeyes generated more than 400 yards in a game for the first time since 2021 in a 22-0 win against Rutgers. Iowa has allowed one touchdown in the last four games and has won 13 of its last 16 games.

It might not be picturesque, but the Hawkeyes’ style of play is effective. They’ve already clinched a share of the Big Ten West title and will earn a trip to Indianapolis with a win against either Illinois or Nebraska.

Georgia deserved to jump Ohio State after the blowout win over Ole Miss, but again this ranking doesn’t mean much for the Buckeyes. Ohio State still has one of the best resumes in the country, but the matchup in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25 is going to determine whether the Buckeyes or Michigan get into the College Football Playoff.

Fortunately for Ohio State it seems to be playing its best football of the season right now, even despite being jumped in the rankings by Georgia. Everything is in front of Ohio State. Beat Minnesota on Saturday and then The Game. Those are the most important things for the Buckeyes right now, the rankings just mean Ohio State controls its own destiny.

As jaded as Georgia's fans and program have become about these rankings, having been through this experience long enough, this feels important. First off, it's a good reward for how the Bulldogs have played lately. More importantly, it's setting them up to survive a loss down the stretch.

Enough committee members clearly value what Kirby Smart's team has done on the field, against a schedule that looks better than it did at the start of the season. That'll make it harder for Georgia to free-fall out of the top four if it does lose, either this weekend at Tennessee or in the SEC championship against Alabama. (A loss at unranked Georgia Tech in between would be harder to take.)

Much will still depend on what happens elsewhere, but the Bulldogs are now in a stronger position than they were two weeks ago.

The committee made the right call in sliding Georgia up to the No. 1 spot now that the Dawgs have two of the best wins of any contender (over Mizzou and Ole Miss).

The only qualm I have about the top six is that Washington remains behind Florida State — despite a stronger resume that includes a win over No. 6 Oregon. I’m surprised that hasn’t changed in any iteration of the rankings so far this season, especially this week as we see the selection committee make an adjustment at No. 1 for a similar reason.

1. Georgia (10-0)
2. Ohio State (10-0)
3. Michigan (10-0)
4. Florida State (10-0)
5. Washington (10-0)
6. Oregon (9-1)

7: Texas (9-1)

8: Alabama (9-1)

9: Missouri (8-2)

10: Louisville (9-1)

Penn State and Ole Miss remain in the top 15, meaning beating those teams counts as a top-15 win.

Also, Iowa up to No. 16! Arizona up to No. 17!

Louisville. The Cardinals should be in the top 10, and they have a trip to Miami on tap this weekend. Can they continue their magical first season under Jeff Brohm? That’s a big story line to watch this week.

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Washington

Georgia’s blowout of top-10 Ole Miss was impressive enough to reclaim the top spot. Ohio State or Michigan for No. 2 is a fair argument, but it’s tough to get too bent out of shape considering that one will sort itself out in a couple of weeks.

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Washington

I had the Dawgs at No. 1 last week, but their defining win against Ole Miss has left no further debate. I'm bumping Washington into the top four after their third ranked win.

Florida State. To no fault of its own because it has been consistently winning, but the resume leaves something to be desired. The Seminoles' best win is LSU, a three-loss team and their next best wins are a collection of four-loss teams: Clemson, Duke and Miami. Everything should work itself out for Florida State should it keep winning, but right now there are four teams with better wins.

Florida State was in my top four until I watched it against Miami and before Michigan took care of business against Penn State. The Seminoles struggled against Miami's offensive and defensive fronts more than they should have. But I'd still take them to beat Washington or Oregon at this point.

Tulane. The Green Wave are following the Cincinnati blueprint: marquee game against a college power in a New Year's Six Bowl the previous year then carry that momentum into the next. Tulane, sitting at 9-1, is positioned nicely for a late-season bump too. The AAC has three teams at 6-0 in the conference (including Tulane) and a 5-1 Memphis team. Tulane ends the year with one of the undefeated teams: UTSA before a conference championship game against another strong team. The quality of wins will be there to secure the coveted G5 spot in the New Year's Six.