CFP Rankings vs. the AP Poll
The College Football Playoff committee's rankings of next to the AP poll of , team by team. See when the next rankings come out.
- 11 of the committee's top 12 were in the AP's top 12.
- 5 of the 23 teams in both Top 25s sit in the exact same spot.
- In the committee's top 12 but not the AP's: Kentucky (AP #13).
- In the AP's top 12 but not the committee's: Wake Forest (committee #13).
- Biggest jump over the AP (4 spots): Alabama (#3, AP #7).
- Biggest drop from the AP (7 spots): Boise State (#24, AP #17).
- The AP's top smaller-conference team, Boise State (AP #17), is committee #24. The committee had the AP's top smaller-conference team lower in 8 of 12 opening rankings since 2014.
Is the AP poll any good? Read our AP poll report.
CFP Top 25, Nov. 10, and Where the AP Has Each Team
Tap a team to open it on Rank.
| CFP | Team | Record | AP | Committee vs. AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | 8-1 | #1 | Same |
| #2 | Utah | 9-0 | #2 | Same |
| #3 | Alabama | 7-2 | #7 | 4 higher |
| #4 | UCLA | 9-0 | #4 | Same |
| #5 | Notre Dame | 8-1 | #3 | 2 lower |
| #6 | Texas | 7-2 | #8 | 2 higher |
| #7 | Miami | 8-1 | #5 | 2 lower |
| #8 | Tennessee | 7-2 | #9 | 1 higher |
| #9 | Indiana | 8-1 | #6 | 3 lower |
| #10 | BYU | 7-2 | #12 | 2 higher |
| #11 | Kentucky | 7-2 | #13 | 2 higher |
| #12 | Texas Tech | 8-1 | #10 | 2 lower |
| #13 | Wake Forest | 8-1 | #11 | 2 lower |
| #14 | Houston | 7-2 | #14 | Same |
| #15 | Iowa | 7-2 | #16 | 1 higher |
| #16 | Oregon | 6-3 | #18 | 2 higher |
| #17 | South Carolina | 6-3 | #20 | 3 higher |
| #18 | USC | 7-2 | #15 | 3 lower |
| #19 | Ole Miss | 6-3 | #19 | Same |
| #20 | Ohio State | 6-3 | #21 | 1 higher |
| #21 | LSU | 6-3 | #24 | 3 higher |
| #22 | Missouri | 6-3 | NR | Committee only |
| #23 | Arizona | 7-2 | #22 | 1 lower |
| #24 | Boise State | 8-1 | #17 | 7 lower |
| #25 | Oklahoma State | 6-3 | NR | Committee only |
Think the committee has it wrong?
Rank your Top 25In the AP Top 25 but not the committee's: New Mexico (AP #23), SMU (AP #25).
How the Committee's Opening Rankings Compare, 2014 to 2025
Every year since 2014, we put the committee's opening rankings next to the AP poll from two days earlier.
- The two top 12s shared 11 teams on average (134 of 144).
- 30% of the teams in both Top 25s sat in the exact same spot (85 of 283).
- The committee had the AP's top smaller-conference team lower in 8 of 12 opening rankings.
That doesn't prove the committee copies the AP. Rankings built on the same games tend to agree, and the Coaches poll matches the AP even more closely (141 of 144 top-12 spots in the same weeks).
| Season | Top 12 in common | Same spot | AP's top smaller-conference team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 11 of 12 | 6 of 24 | East Carolina: AP #21, committee #23 |
| 2015 | 11 of 12 | 0 of 24 | Memphis: AP #15, committee #13 |
| 2016 | 11 of 12 | 6 of 25 | Western Michigan: AP #17, committee #23 |
| 2017 | 12 of 12 | 9 of 25 | UCF: AP #15, committee #18 |
| 2018 | 11 of 12 | 6 of 23 | UCF: AP #9, committee #12 |
| 2019 | 12 of 12 | 8 of 24 | Cincinnati: AP #17, committee #20 |
| 2020 | 10 of 12 | 8 of 24 | Cincinnati: AP #7, committee #7 |
| 2021 | 11 of 12 | 3 of 19 | Cincinnati: AP #2, committee #6 |
| 2022 | 11 of 12 | 11 of 24 | Tulane: AP #19, committee #19 |
| 2023 | 11 of 12 | 7 of 24 | Air Force: AP #17, committee #25 |
| 2024 | 12 of 12 | 13 of 24 | Boise State: AP #12, committee #12 |
| 2025 | 11 of 12 | 8 of 23 | Memphis: AP #22, committee unranked |
Sources: the College Football Playoff committee's rankings and the AP poll, via ESPN. History counts every opening committee ranking from 2014 to 2025 and the AP poll released the same week.
When the CFP and the AP Disagree, Who's Right?
Neither, so far, though there are too few games to be sure. Since 2014, the committee and the AP have put two teams they both rank in a different order in just 20 of the 346 games between them (6%). When they did, the AP's higher-ranked team won 11 and the committee's won 9.
- In the regular season, they split on 8 of 224 games, and the committee's order won 5.
- In bowls and the playoff, they split on 12 of 122 games, and the AP's order won 8.
- This season, through Nov. 8, they haven't split on any of the 6 games between teams both lists rank.
One split came on Nov. 5, 2022. The committee had Tennessee #1 and Georgia #3, and the AP had Georgia #1. Georgia won 27-13.
| Splits | AP | CFP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | 8 of 224 | 3 | 5 |
| Bowls, playoff | 12 of 122 | 8 | 4 |
| All | 20 of 346 | 11 | 9 |
Sources: each College Football Playoff committee ranking, paired with the AP poll released two days earlier after the same games, with results from CollegeFootballData. "Both rank" means both teams are in both Top 25s. Regular-season games count from each season's first committee ranking and use the latest ranking before the game. Bowls and playoff games use the final committee ranking and that week's AP poll.
Boise State is #24 in the CFP rankings and #17 in the AP poll. Where would you put Boise State?
Rank my Top 25More reports
Questions and answers
What's the difference between the CFP rankings and the AP poll?
The CFP rankings come from a 13-person selection committee, and they decide the 12-team playoff. The AP poll comes from about 70 media voters, and it has no say in the playoff.
When do the CFP rankings start?
The AP poll starts in the preseason. The committee waits until November, and its opening 2026 ranking came out Nov. 3.
How closely does the committee follow the AP poll?
Closely at the top. Since 2014, 134 of the 144 teams in the committee's opening top 12 (93%) were already in the AP's top 12.
When the AP poll and the CFP rankings disagree, which one is right more often?
Neither, so far. Since 2014 they've put two ranked teams in a different order in 20 games, and the AP's higher-ranked team won 11 while the committee's won 9.
When is the next CFP ranking?
Rankings come out Tuesday nights on ESPN through Dec. 1, then Selection Day is Sunday, Dec. 6. See all six dates and who's on the committee.