On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff selection committee released its fifth edition of the CFP rankings for the 2021 season, which reflects the games played through Week 13, giving college football fans a window into how the top teams in the country stack up in the committee's eyes entering the conference championship games.
The official playoff field will be announced next Sunday, Dec. 5 on ESPN.
Here are the latest CFP rankings for the 2021 season.
College Football Playoff rankings: Top 25 for Week 14
|
RANK |
SCHOOL |
RECORD |
PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 12-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Michigan | 11-1 | 5 |
| 3 | Alabama | 11-1 | 3 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 12-0 | 4 |
| 5 | Oklahoma State | 11-1 | 7 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 11-1 | 6 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 10-2 | 2 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 10-2 | 9 |
| 9 | Baylor | 10-2 | 8 |
| 10 | Oregon | 10-2 | 11 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 10-2 | 12 |
| 12 | BYU | 10-2 | 13 |
| 13 | Iowa | 10-2 | 16 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | 10 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh | 10-2 | 17 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 10-2 | 18 |
| 17 | Utah | 9-3 | 19 |
| 18 | NC State | 9-3 | 20 |
| 19 | San Diego State | 11-1 | 21 |
| 20 | Clemson | 9-3 | 23 |
| 21 | Houston | 11-1 | 24 |
| 22 | Arkansas | 8-4 | 25 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 9-3 | NR |
| 24 | Louisiana | 11-1 | NR |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 8-4 | 15 |
Here's the top four
The top four teams in the Week 14 College Football Playoff rankings are No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati. All four teams will play in a conference championship game this weekend, including Georgia and Alabama facing off in the SEC Championship Game.
Two of the teams ranked in the top four have never made the CFP: No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Cincinnati.
A two-loss team has never made the College Football Playoff in the first seven years of the playoff.
Where is Cincinnati ranked?
After beating East Carolina on the road in Week 13 to finish the regular season undefeated, Cincinnati maintained its No. 4 ranking. While Michigan beat then-No. 2 Ohio State, the Wolverines effectively switched spots with the Buckeyes at No. 2.
Cincinnati will face No. 21 Houston in the AAC Championship Game on Saturday.
The biggest movers of the week
Texas A&M was the biggest mover of the week as it fell 10 spots from No. 15 to No. 25 after losing to LSU. Ohio State fell five spots to No. 7 after losing to Michigan and Oklahoma dropped four spots to No. 14 after losing to Oklahoma State.
The two Big Ten Championship Game participants — Michigan and Iowa — each improved by three spots.
Here's why who's ranked in the 20s could matter
Kentucky returned to the CFP rankings this week at No. 23 and now, No. 1 Georgia has three top-25 wins, according to the selection committee, because the Bulldogs have also beaten Arkansas, which is now ranked No. 22, and No. 20 Clemson.
Despite losing to unranked LSU in its regular-season finale, Texas A&M stayed in the top 25 at No. 25, which means Alabama's loss was to a fellow top-25 team.
The teams ranked in the 20s obviously won't make the playoff but they'll impact the resumes of the teams that will.
MORE: Highest scoring college football games across FBS, FCS, DII, and DIII
Here's what's at stake in the conference championship games
Here are the conference championship games to watch this week:
- Big 12 Championship Game: 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 4 — No. 5 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Baylor
- SEC Championship Game: 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 4 — No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 3 Alabama
- AAC Championship Game: 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 4 — No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 21 Houston
- Big Ten Championship Game: 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 4 — No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 13 Iowa
