College Football Rankings Today (Dec. 3): Ohio State No. 1, Indiana No. 2, Georgia Back in Top 3 as CFP Field Takes Shape

The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings dropped Tuesday night (U.S.), setting the board for Championship Weekend. As of Wednesday, Dec. 3 (Cairo), the selection committee’s Top 25 keeps Ohio State at No. 1 and Indiana at No. 2, with Georgia climbing to No. 3 and Texas Tech at No. 4. Remember: in the 12-team format, the five highest-ranked conference champions earn automatic bids; the four highest-ranked champs receive first-round byes.

Top 12 snapshot (penultimate CFP rankings)

1. Ohio State (12–0) — Big Ten

2. Indiana (12–0) — Big Ten

3. Georgia (11–1) — SEC

4. Texas Tech (11–1) — Big 12

5. Oregon (11–1) — Pac-12 legacy league

6. Ole Miss (11–1) — SEC

7. Texas A&M (11–1) — SEC

8. Oklahoma (10–2) — SEC

9. Alabama (10–2) — SEC

10. Notre Dame (10–2) — Independent

11. BYU (11–1) — Big 12

12. Miami (10–2) — ACC

Next up: Texas (13), Vanderbilt (14), Utah (15), USC (16), Virginia (17), Arizona (18)—all with paths to, or influence on, the New Year’s bracket depending on title-game outcomes.

Biggest movers and headline notes

• Georgia up to No. 3: The Bulldogs reclaim a bye position heading into the SEC title game.

• Texas Tech at No. 4: A win in the Big 12 Championship would almost certainly lock a first-round bye as a top-four conference champion.

• Ole Miss to No. 6 despite coaching drama: The Rebels benefit from résumé strength and a resilient finish.

• Alabama back inside the top 10 (No. 9): The Tide’s profile keeps at-large hopes alive even without a league crown.

• BYU (11) and Miami (12): Both sit on the bracket line; BYU’s league result looms large for auto-bid math.

What these rankings mean for the 12-team playoff

• Byes (Seeds 1–4): Go to the four highest-ranked conference champions on Selection Sunday. As it stands, Ohio State/Indiana can’t both claim byes—only the Big Ten champ will. If Georgia and Texas Tech win their leagues, they’re positioned for byes alongside the Big Ten winner and the highest-ranked of Oregon/SEC champ.

• Auto-bids (5 total): After the four bye teams are set, the fifth-highest-ranked conference champ joins the field and plays in the First Round (Seeds 5–12). That’s where leagues such as the ACC and American come into play, along with potential chaos from the Sun Belt.

• At-larges (7 spots): Everyone else fights for seeding. This is the lifeline for teams like Alabama or Notre Dame if they don’t win a title.

Championship Weekend stakes (why each title game matters)

• Big Ten: Ohio State vs. Indiana — Winner gets a bye as top Big Ten champion; loser still projects safely in but drops to a first-round road path.

• SEC: Georgia vs. Texas A&M/Alabama pathing — A Georgia win locks a bye. An upset opens the door to multiple SEC teams hosting in the First Round and could push the SEC champ into the top four.

• Big 12: Texas Tech vs. BYU — Tech controls a bye with a win; a BYU victory would shake up both the auto-bid order and at-large cutline.

• ACC: Miami is ranked, but not in the title game; Virginia is (No. 17) — If Virginia wins, the ACC champ gets the league’s auto-bid and could bump a fringe at-large. If the champ is ranked lower than other champs, seeding tumbles, but the auto-bid still applies.

• AAC/Sun Belt tier: Tulane (20), North Texas (24), James Madison (25) — Group-of-Five champs can claim that fifth auto-bid, displacing a bubble at-large from a power league.

Bubble + bracketology quick hits

• Texas (13): Needs help. A chaotic weekend with favorites falling could nudge the Longhorns into a road first-round slot, but they likely require multiple upsets elsewhere.

• Vanderbilt/Utah/USC range (14–16): Any ranked champ emerging from this tier would be in as an auto, forcing one more at-large to fall out.

• Notre Dame (10): As an Independent, the Irish are an at-large only; their seed depends entirely on other title results.

First-round hosting watch (Seeds 5–8)

If chalk holds, a cluster of SEC and Pac-12 legacy powers will be jockeying to host in mid-December. Teams currently in the 5–8 neighborhood—Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma/Alabama/Notre Dame mix—are effectively playing for home games and a cleaner quarterfinal path.

Key times and dates

• Title games: Friday–Saturday (ET), Dec. 5–6 — check local listings; most kickoffs land late afternoon/evening.

• Selection Sunday: Dec. 7 — Final Top 25, bracket, byes, and First-Round hosts revealed.

• First Round (on campus): Mid-December (Seeds 5–12).

• Quarterfinals (New Year’s bowls): Late December/early January.

Ohio State and Indiana have set the pace, Georgia is back in bye territory, and Texas Tech can punch a top-four ticket with one more win. The fifth auto-bid and the last two or three at-large slots will be decided on the margins—by upsets, résumé stacking, and how the committee weighs conference titles versus overall strength on Sunday.