College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction: CBS Sports predicts second CFP Top 25

The latest College Football Playoff top 25 predictions from CBS Sports are in and there was a change within the top four.

Yes, that’s right, a change in the top four. No, Ohio State didn’t move from the No. 1 spot, despite arguments. But one team moved out of the top four in place of another. 

Let’s dive into CBS Sports’ predictions for the second set of College Football Playoff rankings, via Jerry Palm.

1. Ohio State

Ohio State is No. 1 again according to CBS Sports. That’s despite Rutgers giving the Buckeyes quite the game in Piscataway.

There’s no question the defense is absolutely excellent and if the offense finds its rhythm, it’s quite good too. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a Heisman contender and he’ll make sure to keep Ohio State at or near the top as long as he can.

2. Georgia

Georgia earned a win over a team in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Bulldogs needed that going into the second set of rankings.

However, it wasn’t enough to propel the two-time defending champions into the top spot per Palm. They’ll have to do a little more before that happens. Or if Ohio State keeps winning, it might not happen at all!

3. Michigan

Michigan kept it rolling against Purdue as it wasn’t really a contest. But at this point, everyone is just waiting for the other shoe to drop on the Wolverines.

Is there impending punishment coming for Jim Harbaugh and the program? It’s still to-be-determined. But boy would that be a blow to the team ahead of the all important game against Penn State.

4. Washington

Here’s an interesting one, Washington has moved ahead into the top four, knocking Florida State out for now, per Palm. The Huskies outscored USC in a shootout, showing it’s more than just a high powered passing attack.

Washington is also still undefeated. The path seems mighty clear for this team. Win out and win the Pac-12 title and the berth is pretty much automatic.

5. Florida State

Florida State, wait, stop if you’ve heard this before, is undefeated and has a clear path to the College Football Playoff. Win out with a conference title and you’re in, we think. CBS Sports has the Seminoles on the outside looking in momentarily.

That’s pretty much it for the Seminoles. A loss could spell doom for the team trying to get to the playoff for the first time since 2014 (feels like forever ago doesn’t it?). But the schedule sets up for 12-0 and a potential matchup with Louisville for the conference crown.

6. Oregon

Oregon is like a runaway freight train right now. You almost forget that this team lost to Washington by a close margin. However, the Ducks have no margin for error. Can Bo Nix lead this team on a run to a 12-1 record?

No two-loss team has ever made the College Football Playoff. So a loss anywhere for Oregon eliminates the Ducks from this conversation. What’s funny is, a one loss Oregon team as Pac-12 champions might look better than a one-loss Washington championship team.

7. Texas

Maalik Murphy has filled in nicely for Quinn Ewers at quarterback, but objectively speaking, this team is much better with Ewers under center. The latter is now day-to-day, so he could return this weekend with three games to play. That’s Texas’ best bet.

Even still, Texas is squarely the Big 12 favorite moving forward with Oklahoma losing its second game. But again, no margin for error for this one loss team. Others want a crack at the top team in the conference.

8. Alabama

Alabama was an afterthought after the Crimson Tide lost to Texas earlier this year. Well since then, the Crimson Tide haven’t lost and is undefeated in SEC play. Barring disaster, Alabama will go back to the conference title game.

But Alabama knows what it has to do to return to the playoff under Nick Saban. The team has to win out and needs a win over Georgia on the other side of the conference. Doing so would almost assuredly get the Crimson Tide in. But it gets dicey if other teams run the table, such as the Pac-12 and ACC.

9. Ole Miss

The Rebels are a fascinating case for the College Football Playoff this year. Hypothetically, an 11-1 Ole Miss team could have a case if Alabama wins out and goes 12-1 as SEC Champions. In that scenario, Ole Miss would have a win over Georgia, but how would the committee weigh that vs. Georgia actually making the SEC title game? Talk about chaos.

There’s an unlikely path, but man it’s unlikely for Ole Miss, unless the Crimson Tide lose two SEC games and it puts the Rebels into the SEC title game at 11-1. Then, there’s a chance at winning a crown and (basically) getting an automatic berth that way, likely having to beat Georgia twice.

10. Penn State

Penn State needs to win out to have any sort of chance. Going 11-1 and forcing a three-way tiebreaker, that would involve Michigan beating Ohio State, is a way to get to the Big Ten title game and have a chance at the school’s first playoff.

To do that, Penn State’s Big Ten West opponents combined conference record would have to be the best over Ohio State and Michigan’s Big Ten West opponents. Right now, Penn State leads in that category. That seems to be the clearest path for the Nittany Lions to get to the playoff: winning the Big Ten.

Rest of CBS Sports CFP Top 25 predictions

11. Louisville
12. Missouri
13. Oregon State
14. Utah
15. Oklahoma State
16. Tennessee
17. Kansas
18. Oklahoma
19. LSU
20. Notre Dame
21. Kansas State
22. Tulane
23. Iowa
24. USC
25. Arizona