Honestly, if you told me a year ago that we’d be heading into a national title game featuring the Indiana Hoosiers as a No. 1 seed and the Miami Hurricanes as a double-digit seed crasher, I would’ve assumed you were playing a very glitchy version of College Football 25. But here we are. The 2025-26 season hasn’t just been "unpredictable"—it’s been a total demolition of the old guard.
For decades, we’ve lived in a world where the college top 25 football rankings were basically a private club for about five schools. If you weren't wearing a crimson jersey or a gold helmet, you were just window dressing. Not anymore. The expansion to a 12-team playoff changed the math, but the 2025 season changed the soul of the sport. We saw Indiana, a team historically known more for basketball and "what if" seasons, go 13-0 and clinch the top spot in the final Selection Committee poll.
It’s weird. It’s chaotic. And if you're a fan of a "mid-tier" program, it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.
The Final CFP Top 25: A Landscape Reimagined
When the final committee rankings dropped on December 7, the room went quiet. Indiana at No. 1? Ohio State at No. 2? It felt like the Big Ten had finally swallowed the sport whole, but the SEC wasn't far behind. The committee didn't just look at records; they looked at the "eye test" in a way that actually rewarded dominant consistency over historical brand names.
Here is how that final college top 25 football rankings list shook out before the playoff madness began:
- Indiana (13-0)
- Ohio State (12-1)
- Georgia (12-1)
- Texas Tech (12-1)
- Oregon (11-1)
- Ole Miss (11-1)
- Texas A&M (11-1)
- Oklahoma (10-2)
- Alabama (10-3)
- Miami (10-2)
- Notre Dame (10-2)
- BYU (11-2)
- Texas (9-3)
- Vanderbilt (10-2)
- Utah (10-2)
- USC (9-3)
- Arizona (9-3)
- Michigan (9-3)
- Virginia (10-3)
- Tulane (11-2)
- Houston (9-3)
- Georgia Tech (9-3)
- Iowa (8-4)
- James Madison (12-1)
- North Texas (11-2)
Look at No. 14. Vanderbilt. The Commodores finished with 10 wins and sat just outside the playoff bubble. In any other era, a 10-win Vandy team is a miracle. In 2026, it’s a legitimate argument for "should they have been in over a three-loss Alabama?"
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The Curt Cignetti Effect and the Indiana Miracle
What Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana is, frankly, offensive to the traditional powers. He didn't just win; he bulldozed people. The Hoosiers' 56-22 demolition of Oregon in the Peach Bowl semifinal wasn't a fluke. It was a statement. When you look at the college top 25 football rankings, you see Indiana at the top because they played mistake-free football.
They didn't have the five-star depth of Georgia or the NIL war chest of Ohio State (initially), but they had a roster of "old" players—guys who had played four or five years of college ball and simply didn't rattle.
The Miami Hurricanes: The No. 10 Seed That Wouldn't Die
If Indiana is the story of the year, Miami is the heist of the century. The Hurricanes entered the playoff as the No. 10 seed. Historically, the 10th-best team in the country is usually just a speed bump for the top four.
Instead, Mario Cristobal’s squad went on a "revenge tour" through the bracket.
They started by taking down No. 7 Texas A&M.
Then they did the unthinkable: they beat No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, 24-14.
That game was a defensive masterclass. It finally closed the 23-year wound from the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
Then came the semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl against No. 6 Ole Miss. A 31-27 thriller. Miami survived because of their defense, led by guys like Keionte Scott, who has been a Swiss Army knife in the secondary. Now, Miami gets to play for a national title in their home stadium—Hard Rock Stadium—as the "visitor" against Indiana.
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Why the AP Poll and CFP Rankings Diverged
There’s always a bit of a "vibe check" difference between the AP Poll and the CFP Selection Committee. The AP voters tend to be a bit more sentimental. They kept teams like Michigan and Alabama higher for longer because of their logos.
The Committee? They were cold-blooded. They dropped Alabama to No. 9 after their third loss. They didn't care that Kalen DeBoer is a great coach; they cared that the Tide looked vulnerable on the road. This divergence is why the college top 25 football rankings cause so much stress in November. One group is looking at who "should" be good, and the other is looking at who actually is good right now.
Small Schools, Big Problems: The Rise of the G5
Let’s talk about James Madison. No. 24 in the final rankings. 12-1 record.
They made the playoff as the No. 12 seed and, honestly, they didn't just "show up." They put 34 points on Oregon. They lost, sure, but the gap is closing.
When you see teams like James Madison, Tulane (No. 20), and North Texas (No. 25) cracking the top of the pile, it tells you that the transfer portal has leveled the playing field. You can’t just hoard talent at Georgia and expect to win by 50 anymore. Those "second-tier" stars are moving to places like JMU or North Texas where they can be the man, and they’re bringing that chip on their shoulder with them.
What Most People Get Wrong About Strength of Schedule
People love to scream about "Strength of Schedule" (SOS) when defending their favorite SEC team. "Oh, Indiana played a bunch of nobodies!"
Actually, the 2025 season proved that a "weak" schedule with a 13-0 record is better than a "gauntlet" with three losses.
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Why? Because winning is hard. Period.
The mental toll of staying focused for 13 straight weeks is why Indiana earned that No. 1 spot over a one-loss Ohio State team that they beat head-to-head in the Big Ten Championship (13-10). The committee finally stopped rewarding teams for "quality losses" and started rewarding teams for "quality wins."
The Heisman Factor in the Rankings
You can't discuss the college top 25 football rankings without mentioning Fernando Mendoza. The Miami native who led Indiana's offense was the engine behind that No. 1 ranking. It’s a weird full-circle moment. A kid from Miami leads a school in Bloomington to the top spot, only to face his hometown team in the final.
Mendoza’s efficiency is the reason Indiana stayed at No. 1 while other teams flickered. He didn't turn the ball over. When you look at the top five teams—Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas Tech, Oregon—they all had one thing in common: elite, veteran quarterback play.
Actionable Insights for the Next Season
If you're trying to figure out how to navigate the 2026 season based on what we just witnessed, here’s the reality of the new college football world.
- Ignore the Preseason Hype: Texas was the preseason No. 1. They finished at No. 13. Preseason rankings are just a beauty contest based on last year’s recruiting class.
- Watch the "Old" Teams: The transfer portal has made "age" the most important stat. Indiana won because they were grown men playing against talented kids. Look for teams with 4th and 5th-year starters in the portal era.
- The 12-Team Era is a Different Beast: Being No. 10 is no longer a death sentence. Miami proved that if you have a hot defense and a bit of luck, the bracket is wide open.
- Conference Championship Games are Now "Playoff Round 0": The Indiana vs. Ohio State Big Ten title game was essentially for the No. 1 seed and a bye. Those games have more weight now than the actual first round of the playoffs.
The era of predictable college top 25 football rankings is officially over. We are in the age of the underdog, the portal, and the 12-team chaos. Whether you love the "Cinderella" story of Indiana or the "Miami is Back" narrative, the sport has never been more alive.
As we move into the 2026 offseason, keep an eye on the mid-majors that are retaining their coaching staffs. Schools like James Madison and Tulane aren't going anywhere, and the traditional powers are going to have to find a way to stop the bleeding in the portal if they want to reclaim the top five spots next year.