Ohio State opens as No. 1 team in first College Football Playoff rankings
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For the third time since the inception of the College Football Playoff, the Ohio State Buckeyes open the playoff rankings as the No. 1 team.
Ohio State (8-0, 5-0) was placed by the CFP selection committee as the top-ranked side in its initial playoff rankings, which will be released every Tuesday for the remainder of the season leading to the Dec. 7 selection show.
The Scarlet & Gray has been the top team in the first playoff poll in the 2025, 2023, and 2019 seasons but in the 2023 and 2019 seasons, Ohio State did not win the national championship. Teams in bold are currently sitting in the 12-team playoff bracket.
2025 College Football Playoff rankings (Nov. 4, 2025)
| 1 | Ohio State |
| 2 | Indiana |
| 3 | Texas A&M |
| 4 | Alabama |
| 5 | Georgia |
| 6 | Ole Miss |
| 7 | BYU |
| 8 | Texas Tech |
| 9 | Oregon |
| 10 | Notre Dame |
| 11 | Texas |
| 12 | Oklahoma |
| 13 | Utah |
| 14 | Virginia |
| 15 | Louisville |
| 16 | Vanderbilt |
| 17 | Georgia Tech |
| 18 | Miami |
| 19 | USC |
| 20 | Iowa |
| 21 | Michigan |
| 22 | Missouri |
| 23 | Washington |
| 24 | Pittsburgh |
| 25 | Tennessee |
This is the first CFP rankings revealed using the new seeding method for the 12-team format as conference winners are no longer guaranteed byes into the quarterfinals.
The top-four teams, Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, and Alabama, currently sit as the four teams earning byes. The five-best conference champions will still make the playoffs.
Using Tuesday's rankings, Ohio State sits as the No. 1 seed and would play the winner of a first-round game between No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 9 Oregon. The Buckeyes' likely bowl destination in this scenario would be the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State has been placed in the first projected playoff bracket using the initial CFP rankings six times. Since the CFP's inception, nearly 58% of teams placed in the initial bracket ended up making the actual playoff field.
Current CFP bracket
Despite missing out on the CFP rankings, Memphis has come in as an AAC representative.
The current bracket, using Tuesday's rankings, is below.
Initial CFP projections
Ohio State will look to stay undefeated on Nov. 8 when it takes on Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.