College Football Playoff Rankings Release Next Week
The time has almost come when we can finally toss the AP Poll to the side next week and begin to focus on the coveted College Football Playoff rankings that release Tuesday, October 31st. As we have learned in the near 10-year history of the College Football Playoff, each year provides us with unique circumstances to determine who eventually makes the College Football Playoff.
The rankings typically go through a roller coaster before settling on the official top-4 teams that earn their spot to the CFP. To get us ramped up and excited for the back half of the season, let’s take a look at how the rankings have changed from the first ranking to the final ranking to determine the playoff.
2014
First Ranking (Week 10)
- Mississippi State (7–0)
- Florida State (7–0)
- Auburn (6–1)
- Ole Miss (6–1)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- Alabama (12–1)
- Oregon (12–1)
- Florida State (13–0)
- Ohio State (12–1)
This was obviously a very exciting season with it being the first year of the College Football Playoff. Not to mention that the Urban Meyer led Buckeyes cooked their way through Alabama and onto defeat Oregon 42–20 in the national championship.
2015
First Ranking (Week 10)
- Clemson (8–0)
- LSU (7–0)
- Ohio State (8–0)
- Alabama (7–1)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- Clemson (13–0)
- Alabama (12–1)
- Michigan State (12–1)
- Oklahoma (11–1)
This playoff settled on Alabama vs. Clemson for the national championship with the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 45–40. This is a matchup we’ll see plenty of as we advance through this list.
2016
First Ranking (Week 10)
- Alabama (8–0)
- Clemson (8–0)
- Michigan (8–0)
- Texas A&M (7–1)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- Alabama (13–0)
- Clemson (12–1)
- Ohio State (11–1)
- Washington (12–1)
Any guesses on how this played out? Yep, Alabama and Clemson won their semifinal matchups to face off in the national championship with the Clemson Tigers earning a late score to get their revenge against Alabama.
2017
First Ranking (Week 10)
- Georgia (8–0)
- Alabama (8–0)
- Notre Dame (7–1)
- Clemson (7–1)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- Clemson (12–1)
- Oklahoma (12–1)
- Georgia (12–1)
- Alabama (11–1)
This playoff led to some of the greatest moments in playoff history. The Rose Bowl between Oklahoma and Georgia was legendary. For the first time we saw an all-SEC College Football Playoff national championship that also went to OT with the Crimson Tide escaping with a 26–23 win over Georgia.
2018
First Ranking (Week 10)
- Alabama (8–0)
- Clemson (8–0)
- LSU (7–1)
- Notre Dame (8–0)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- Alabama (13–0)
- Clemson (13–0)
- Notre Dame (12–0)
- Oklahoma (12–1)
Sigh* We all know how this one ended up. Clemson vs. Alabama with the Tigers dismantling the Crimson Tide 44–16 in the national championship game.
2019
First Ranking (Week 11)
- Ohio State (8–0)
- LSU (8–0)
3. Alabama (8–0)
4. Penn State (8–0)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- LSU (13–0)
- Ohio State (13–0)
- Clemson (13–0)
- Oklahoma (12–1)
What a season it was for the Tigers… LSU that is. Joe Burrow led the LSU Tigers and their high powered offense to a dominant national championship defeating Clemson 42–25.
2020* — COVID Season
First Ranking (Week 13)
- Alabama (7–0)
- Notre Dame (8–0)
3. Clemson (7–1)
4. Ohio State (4–0)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- Alabama (10–0)
- Notre Dame (10–0)
- Clemson (9–1)
- Ohio State (5–0)
What a confusing season this was. One that ultimately led to Alabama earning another national championship over the Buckeyes 52–24.
2021
First Ranking (Week 13)
- Georgia (8–0)
- Alabama (7–1)
3. Michigan State (8–0)
4. Oregon (7–1)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- Alabama (12–1)
- Michigan (12–1)
- Georgia (12–1)
- Cincinnati (13–0)
For the first time, we saw a group of five team make the College Football Playoff. While entertaining, the national championship led to Alabama vs. Georgia with the Bulldogs ended their long national championship drought and beating Alabama 33–18.
2022
First Ranking (Week 13)
- Tennessee (8–0)
- Ohio State (8–0)
3. Georgia (8–0)
4. Clemson (8–0)
Final Ranking (Before Playoff)
- Georgia (13–0)
- Michigan (13–0)
- TCU (12–1)
- Ohio State (11–1)
We finally were able to see a Big 12 team not only get into the playoff for the first time not named ‘Oklahoma’, but win a game! And then proceed to get annihilated by Georgia in the biggest loss in national championship game history 65–7.
College Football Playoff Statistics
There are a few statistics in the rankings above that are worthy to note as we go into our first College Football Playoff rankings next week. Of the 36 teams ranked in the top-4 over the last 9 seasons in first ranking, 20 of them have found their way to the top-4 in the final rankings before the playoff. That gives your team around a 55% chance to make the final top-4 ranking if you’re ranked in the top-4 at the beginning of the College Football Playoff rankings.
After those final rankings release and the top-4 is set, your seeding can play a drastic role on your chances of winning all. The good news, every seed has lifted the trophy. What seed has performed best?
#1 Seed: 7–2 in the Semifinal Games // 3 National Championships (33.3% of National Champions in CFP)
#2 Seed: 4–5 in the Semifinal Games // 3 National Championships (33.3% of National Champions in CFP)
#3 Seed: 5–4 in the Semifinal Games // 1 National Championship (11.1% of National Champions in CFP)
#4 Seed: 2–7 in Semifinal Games // 2 National Championships (22.2% of National Champions in CFP)
The Future of the College Football Playoff
Regardless of whether you love a 4-team playoff or hate a 4-team playoff, you can soak this one up and say goodbye to it as the College Football Playoff will move to a 12-team playoff beginning in the 2024 college football season. This season will be nothing short of controversial on who gets in and who is left out. The grass is greener on the other side, so be patient my 4-team playoff haters.
