Overview
- The first Top 25 drops Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. ET, with weekly Tuesday rankings through Dec. 2 and the 12-team field revealed Sunday, Dec. 7 at noon ET.
- The expanded playoff opens with first-round campus games Dec. 19–20 and culminates with the national championship on Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
- Ohio State is widely projected as No. 1 entering the debut rankings, though some analysts, including Robert Griffin III, currently place unbeaten Indiana at the top.
- Week 10 swing games with direct CFP implications include Vanderbilt at Texas, Tennessee vs. Oklahoma, Cincinnati at Utah, and Penn State vs. Ohio State.
- Betting lines highlight the stakes: Ohio State -20.5 vs. Penn State, Texas -2.5 vs. Vanderbilt, Tennessee -3 vs. Oklahoma, and Utah -8.5 vs. Cincinnati, with losses potentially fatal for two-loss SEC contenders.