The College Football Playoff is the postseason gatekeeper. A 12-member committee seeds a 12-team bracket to decide the national title. Seeds determine byes, home games, travel, TV slots and bragging rights.

Looking at this season, the first CFP rankings reveal set the tenor for 2025: resume over vibe, strength-of-record front and center, and instant arguments about league depth and injury context. That precedent now reverberates through every November upset, highlighting the impact of unexpected game outcomes on the rankings and championship considerations. Here’s how to watch the second rankings show, hosted by Rece Davis.

How to watch the CFP Top 25 rankings show

All ESPN programming is also available on ESPN Unlimited. YouTube TV users will need a subscription to a different pay TV carrier or to ESPN’s direct-to-consumer service while the Google vs. Disney dispute continues.

The committee room feels like a two-minute drill. The Big Ten wants multiple automatic qualifiers; the SEC does not. Week 11 gave both sides ammo: Under the current five-auto, seven-at-large system, the SEC’s path to four at-large bids widened, while the Big Ten’s shot at a fourth team looks shakier, even as Ohio State and Indiana track toward byes.

Over the weekend, three ranked teams lost to unranked foes (Washington at Wisconsin, Virginia vs. Wake Forest, Louisville vs. California in OT). Oregon survived at Iowa on a last-second kick. Texas Tech handled BYU. Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love detonated Navy with a physics-bending TD. Indiana, which came back against Penn State in an instant classic, remained undefeated by a toe-tap margin.

With Week 11 shaking up expectations, The Athletic’s model from Austin Mock has unveiled some surprising projections. Indiana, a team that started the season at No. 20 and underestimated, is now sharing the spotlight with the likes of Ohio State, Texas A&M and Alabama. Meanwhile, Georgia, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Texas Tech and Oregon are next in line, each fighting to solidify their positions.

The bubble is buzzing with tension as Texas, Utah, Oklahoma, USC, Vanderbilt and BYU teeter on the edge, vying for an opportunity to break into the leading ranks. Yet, hope still lingers for teams like SMU, Georgia Tech, Duke and South Florida, who remain in the race for automatic bids, dreaming of a last-minute surge.

The opening round will be played across home stadiums of the higher seeds on Friday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 20. Four neutral-site quarterfinal bowls (Cotton, Orange, Rose, Sugar) are scheduled for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Then two semifinal bowls (Fiesta, Peach) are set for Thursday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 9. The national championship game will go down Monday, Jan. 19 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Here is the committee driving this week’s joy and heartburn. Members are arranged alphabetically by last name:

Chris Ault – former Nevada head coach and athletic director
Troy Dannen – current athletic director at Nebraska
Mark Dantonio – former head coach at Cincinnati and Michigan State
Jeff Long – former athletic director at Kansas, Arkansas, Pittsburgh and Eastern Kentucky
Ivan Maisel – longtime sportswriter and Hall of Fame member of the Football Writers Association of America
Chris Massaro – current athletic director at Middle Tennessee State
Mack Rhoades – current athletic director at Baylor
Mike Riley – former head coach at Oregon State and Nebraska
David Sayler – current athletic director at Miami (Ohio)
Wesley Walls – former Ole Miss tight end enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame
Carla Williams – current athletic director at Virginia
Hunter Yurachek – current athletic director at Arkansas

The 13th member, former Arizona State guard and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel, has stepped away from this season’s deliberations for personal reasons and is expected to return next year.

The full schedule for ESPN’s “College Football Playoff Top 25” programming is listed below. All times ET:

Tuesday, Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 18 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 25 – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 2 – 7 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7 (final rankings) – Noon
The Athletic’s comprehensive CFP analysis and projections

Seth Emerson talks about the chaotic math that would send seven SEC teams to the Playoff.

Scott Dochterman has the latest bracket prediction, updated after each Saturday.

Stewart Mandel has 20 thoughts on Week 11’s madness.

Austin Mock’s projection model has Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Ole Miss in the top four spots.

Jason Kirk and Alex Kirshner talk play of the year and the ACC’s Playoff nightmare in The Athletic’s college football newsletter. 

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