Honestly, if you told me a year ago that we’d be heading into the final Monday of the season with Indiana sitting at the top of the mountain, I would’ve asked what you were drinking. It feels fake. It feels like a video game simulation that went off the rails. But here we are in January 2026, and the top 25 college football landscape has been completely flattened and rebuilt by Curt Cignetti and a bunch of kids from Bloomington who simply refuse to lose.
The Hoosiers are 15-0. Read that again.
They didn't just stumble into the number one spot; they kicked the door down. After a regular season that saw them dismantle the Big Ten, they walked into the Rose Bowl and embarrassed Alabama 38-3. That wasn't a game; it was a statement. Then they put 55 points on Oregon in the Peach Bowl. It’s the kind of run that makes you realize everything we thought we knew about "blue bloods" might be dead.
The Chaos of the Final Rankings
Trying to keep up with the polls this month is basically a full-time job. With the 12-team playoff in full swing, the traditional AP Top 25 has become this weird hybrid of "who's actually playing" and "who was good in November."
Take a look at the Miami Hurricanes. They entered the playoff as the number 10 seed. Usually, a 10-seed is just happy to be there, maybe hoping to keep it close for three quarters before the depth of a SEC giant takes over. Instead, Mario Cristobal’s squad has turned into a giant-slayer. They went into College Station and beat Texas A&M 10-3 in a game that felt like a 1920s bar fight. Then they stunned the defending champ, Ohio State, in the Cotton Bowl.
They’re currently sitting at 13-2, ranked 10th in the final CFP committee poll but likely to skyrocket depending on what happens Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium.
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How the Top 10 Shakes Out Right Now
- Indiana (15-0): The undisputed kings until someone proves otherwise.
- Georgia (12-2): Still the gold standard for talent, even if Ole Miss caught them slipping in the quarterfinals.
- Ohio State (12-2): A "down" year for Ryan Day still results in a Big Ten title game appearance and a deep playoff run.
- Texas Tech (12-2): Joey McGuire has turned Lubbock into a nightmare for visitors.
- Oregon (13-2): Dan Lanning’s group ran out of gas against Indiana’s offense, but they’re clearly the class of the West.
- Ole Miss (13-2): Lane Kiffin almost did it. They were minutes away from the title game before Miami’s defense clamped down.
- Texas A&M (11-2): Mike Elko has the culture fixed, but that offense still goes cold at the worst times.
- Oklahoma (10-3): Better than expected, but still a tier below the top four.
- Notre Dame (10-2): The usual story—great defense, but the lack of a dynamic playmaker at QB hurt them in the postseason.
- Miami (13-2): The hottest team in the country not named Indiana.
Why the SEC Dominance Narrative Is Cracking
We spent a decade hearing that the SEC was the only conference that mattered. It's kinda funny to look at the top 25 college football list now and see how the Big Ten and even the ACC have clawed back.
Georgia and Alabama are still there, obviously. You can't just ignore them. But look at the scorelines. Indiana didn't just beat Alabama; they doubled their score and then some. Virginia finished 11-3. James Madison—yes, the Dukes—finished 12-2 and inside the top 20.
The transfer portal has leveled the playing field in a way that "old school" fans hate but everyone else finds addictive. Look at Carson Beck. The guy ends up at Miami and suddenly the Canes are in a national title game for the first time in two decades. Or look at the sheer amount of talent at Tulane and Navy. Navy finished 11-2 this year. In 2026! That isn't supposed to happen in the modern era, yet their triple-option (or the "new" version of it) had Power 4 defensive coordinators pulling their hair out all December.
The Teams Nobody Talked About (But Should Have)
Everyone focuses on the top five, but the middle of the top 25 college football rankings is where the real stories are. Vanderbilt finished 10-3. Let that sink in. Diego Pavia might be the most fun player to watch in the last twenty years of the sport. He’s basically a walking highlight reel of "how did he stay on his feet?"
Then you have Texas. The Longhorns were preseason favorites, had the Heisman hype, and... they finished 10-3. In Austin, that's a failure. But in reality, they beat Oklahoma and A&M. They just couldn't handle the grind of the new SEC schedule. It’s a reminder that even "loaded" rosters can't just talent their way through a 12-game gauntlet anymore.
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The New Blood in the Top 25
- Tulane (11-3): Ranked 17th. They’ve become the "Group of 5" team that nobody wants to schedule.
- James Madison (12-2): Ranked 19th. Their only losses were to teams that spent time in the top 10.
- Navy (11-2): Ranked 22nd. Proving that discipline still beats 4-star recruits sometimes.
- North Texas (12-2): Ranked 23rd. The Mean Green finally lived up to the name.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Playoffs
There’s this common complaint that the 12-team playoff "devalues" the regular season. If anything, it’s the opposite. Every game for a team like Miami or Ole Miss became a high-stakes survival match. One more loss and they’re out.
The "eye test" is also dying. The committee can't just say "well, Alabama looks like a top 4 team" when Indiana is hanging 38 points on them. The results on the field are actually starting to matter more than the logo on the helmet. It’s why you see Indiana at #1 and Ohio State at #3, despite the Buckeyes having "better" recruits on paper.
Looking Ahead: The Transfer Portal Fallout
The season isn't even over yet and the portal is already a mess. We’re seeing guys like Damon Wilson from Missouri already drawing massive interest from Texas Tech and Miami.
This is the new reality of top 25 college football. A team can go from unranked to a title contender in one offseason if they hit on the right four or five transfers. It’s basically NFL free agency with shorter contracts and less loyalty. It makes ranking these teams in the preseason almost impossible, which is probably why the 2025 season was so chaotic.
Actionable Insights for the Offseason
If you’re trying to track where the power is shifting, don't just look at the high school recruiting rankings. Those are only half the story now.
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Watch the Quarterback Room: The correlation between a top-tier portal QB and a top 10 finish is almost 1:1 at this point. If your team didn't land a proven starter in the winter window, expect a plateau.
Follow the Coaching Tree: Success is trailing specific coordinators. Look at what happened at Indiana. They didn't just get a new coach; they got a new identity. Teams that "hire the hottest name" without a clear scheme shift are the ones falling out of the top 25 by October.
Check the SOS: Strength of Schedule used to be a tiebreaker. Now, with the playoff expansion, it’s the primary driver of the rankings. A two-loss SEC team will almost always outrank a one-loss team from a weaker conference, but as we saw with Indiana (Big Ten) and Miami (ACC), that gap is closing if you can win the big "cross-over" games.
The 2025-2026 season proved that the hierarchy of college football is no longer a closed circle. Whether you're an Indiana fan enjoying the greatest year of your life or a Bama fan wondering what happened to the dynasty, the game has changed. The final poll will be released Tuesday morning, right after the trophy is lifted in Miami. Until then, the debate about who truly belongs in the top spot will keep the sport as loud and polarizing as ever.