ISDB — International Sports Database
College Football

College Football Rankings

Three separate rankings shape the college football season, and only one of them actually decides anything. Here is what each poll is, who votes, when it drops, and how the 12-team College Football Playoff field is built from it.

The three rankings that matter

AP Top 25 · Coaches Poll · CFP committee rankings

  • AP Top 25
    Media panel selected by the Associated Press
    25 teams per ballot
    Preseason in mid-August, then every Sunday in season
    Nothing officially — it is the most-cited public barometer
  • Coaches Poll
    Head coaches of FBS programs
    25 teams per ballot
    Preseason in early August, then weekly in season
    Nothing officially — a peer view of the same field
  • CFP Committee Rankings
    College Football Playoff selection committee
    Top 25, ordered by the committee
    Weekly from the second half of the season to Selection Day
    The 12-team playoff field, seeding and bowl placement

How the 12-team playoff is built

College Football Playoff seeding structure

  • 1–4
    Conference champions with a bye

    The four highest-ranked conference champions skip the first round.

  • 5
    Fifth conference champion

    The last automatic qualifier, seeded on committee order.

  • 6–12
    At-large selections

    The next seven highest-ranked teams, champion or not.

FBS conferences

Where ranked teams come from

  • SECSoutheastern Conference
    16 members
  • Big TenBig Ten Conference
    18 members
  • Big 12Big 12 Conference
    16 members
  • ACCAtlantic Coast Conference
    17 football members
  • AmericanAmerican Conference
    Group of Five
  • MWMountain West Conference
    Group of Five
  • Sun BeltSun Belt Conference
    Group of Five
  • MACMid-American Conference
    Group of Five
  • CUSAConference USA
    Group of Five
  • Pac-12Pac-12 Conference
    Rebuilt membership
  • INDIndependents
    No conference affiliation

2025–26 Conference Standings

Season 2025-26 · conference, overall, home, away and current streak

Team
Conf.
Overall
Home
Away
Strk
  • North Texas
    7-1
    12-2
    6-1
    5-1
    W1
  • Tulane
    7-1
    11-3
    7-0
    4-3
    L1
  • Navy
    7-1
    11-2
    6-0
    3-2
    W4
  • South Florida
    6-2
    9-4
    6-0
    3-3
    L1
  • East Carolina
    6-2
    9-4
    5-1
    3-3
    W2
  • Memphis
    4-4
    8-5
    4-2
    4-2
    L4
  • Army
    4-4
    7-6
    2-3
    4-2
    W1
  • UTSA
    4-4
    7-6
    4-2
    2-4
    W1
  • Temple
    3-5
    5-7
    2-4
    3-3
    L4
  • FL Atlantic
    3-5
    4-8
    3-3
    1-5
    L3
  • Rice
    2-6
    5-8
    3-4
    2-3
    L3
  • UAB
    2-6
    4-8
    3-3
    1-5
    W1
  • Tulsa
    1-7
    4-8
    2-4
    2-4
    L1
  • Charlotte
    0-8
    1-11
    1-5
    0-5
    L9

Current Top 25

ISDB publishes polls only from a confirmed source. The 2026–27 AP preseason Top 25 is not out yet, so the ordered poll table stays empty until it is released. The 2025–26 conference standings above are the completed-season records.

Common questions

Why do the AP poll and the CFP rankings disagree?
Different electorates and different criteria. AP voters submit independent weekly ballots; the selection committee debates as a group and weighs strength of schedule, head-to-head results and results against common opponents.
Does the preseason poll matter?
Not for the playoff — the committee starts from scratch mid-season. It does shape perception, which is why an early loss by a highly ranked team moves the poll more than the same loss by an unranked team.
Can a team make the playoff without winning its conference?
Yes. Seven of the twelve spots are at-large, so a strong non-champion ranked inside the committee's top twelve can still be selected.