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Mike's college football power rankings for the remaining teams in the 2025 College Football Playoff. His complete power rankings, including Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and more.
Power Rankings of the Final Eight 2025 College Football Playoff Teams
Four of the final teams still in the hunt for the National Championship played last week. Four did not. Did the four games affect the power rankings of the teams remaining in the College Football Playoff? Two of my bottom four in the 12-team rankings fell. It was nice while it lasted, Tulane and James Madison. The Dukes looked better than the Wave for what that’s worth. Is that more a reflection of Mississippi or Oregon?
8. Alabama (11-3)
I kind of thought that Alabama might win the third matchup with Oklahoma in the last 13 months. I was feeling good with Oklahoma up 17-0. A dropped pass right in the hands of Xavier Robinson that likely would have been a touchdown led to a dropped punt. That changed the 2025 season for Oklahoma, and it had absolutely nothing to do with anything Alabama did on either of those plays. A John Mateer pick-six to close out the half sealed Oklahoma’s fate.
My assessment of Alabama didn’t really change. Oklahoma did as much to beat itself as Alabama did to beat them. The Tide still couldn’t run the ball except on a trick play, and the disappearing act of Ryan Williams is one of the greatest mysteries of this football season. The Tide has by far the most holes of any of the remaining teams.
7. Oregon (12-1)
Oregon’s offense overshadowed how badly the defense was gouged in this one. The Ducks were up 34-6 at the half, but James Madison became the first team with over 500 yards against Oregon at the Zoo since Stanford in 2016. Christian McCaffrey was on that team.
It’s easy to look at the score and say that all of James Madison’s yards came in garbage time. That’s not true. Despite the blowout nature of the score, the Dukes had well over 200 yards at halftime. The reality is that Wayne Knight and Alonza Barnett III ran successfully on the Oregon defense. The bad news for Oregon is that Texas Tech LOVES to run the ball, and they have the dominant offensive line to do it.
6. Miami (FL) (11-2)
The return of Mark Fletcher Jr. was huge for the Hurricanes. Carson Beck didn’t do a lot, but he didn’t make any mistakes either. That’s just as important as Fletcher carving up the Aggies. The Miami defense did a great job in a hostile environment. They picked off Marcel Reed twice, and Reed led the team in rushing with 27 yards. As far as potential outcomes, this was the best-case scenario for Miami. It also showed that the Hurricanes could be a potential problem for Ohio State. It would take the game of the season for them, but stranger things have happened.
5. Mississippi (12-1)
The same teams played in the same place with the same personnel three months apart. The results were almost exactly the same. Trinidad Chambliss took a backseat in rushing to Kewan Lacy, but he still accounted for three touchdowns. This didn’t change my assessment of Mississippi at all.
The first meeting with Georgia was a close enough game that the rematch being played on a neutral site could be a problem for the Bulldogs. Georgia won by eight in Athens two months ago. Gunner Stockton accounted for all five touchdowns in that game. If Ole Miss can figure out how to limit Stockton, this is a winnable game. The gap between Georgia and Mississippi is smaller than most people realize.
4. Georgia (12-1)
As I stated before, the first matchup in Athens was close enough to think that this game could have a different outcome. The Rebels didn’t miss Lane Kiffin at all against Tulane. Charlie Weis Jr. and the offense were still cooking with gas. The key for Georgia will be if they can run the ball successfully. Can they really count on Stockton to throw four more touchdowns and run for another in the rematch? Probably not.
3. Texas Tech (11-1)
I’m still a firm believer that the Red Raiders can hang with either of the top two teams, and maybe even come away with a win. Instead of loading up on offensive studs with the NIL money, the Red Raiders built their team along the lines. The results spoke for themselves. The offensive line is a bulldozing unit, and the defensive line is one of the most disruptive units in the country. Jacob Rodriguez is one of the best linebackers I’ve seen in the last 25 years, but that line helps make him possible.
2. Ohio State (12-1)
Ohio State and Indiana were in an epic battle just as we hoped it would be. How important was that game to Ohio State? A Big Ten Championship means the world to Indiana. It’s another Saturday for the Buckeyes. Their eyes are on another prize. They want to be the first repeat champions since Georgia in 2021 and 2022.
1. Indiana (13-0)
As much as I think that Ohio State was purposely vanilla, the Hoosiers were as well. Both teams knew that they could be in for a rematch on January 20. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened. Indiana was ranked 11th out of the 12 CFP teams as far as talent evaluators go. No one gets more out of his team than Curt Cignetti. Coaches like that win championships.
Quarterfinal CFP Matchups
- Miami vs. Ohio State (in Arlington)
- Oregon vs. Texas Tech (in Miami)
- Alabama vs. Indiana (in Pasadena)
- Ole Miss vs. Georgia (in New Orleans)
