In the third edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, Ohio State remained at No. 2 after a 31-7 victory over Northwestern, behind only No. 1 Oregon.
The Buckeyes next opponent, Indiana is ranked No. 5 for the second straight week, which will make the Nov. 23 game the third top-five matchup this season for OSU. Penn State and Illinois were the only other Big Ten team in the rankings at No. 4 and No. 25, respectively.
The Ducks had a scare against Wisconsin on Nov. 16, but ultimately escaped with a 16-13 win, holding onto their undefeated record and their No. 1 ranking in both the AP poll and CFP rankings.
The rest of the top 12 featured No. 3 Texas, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Miami (F;a.), No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Georgia, No. 11 Tennessee and No. 12 Boise State, although BYU would be in over Tennessee would miss the playoff since BYU at No. 14 would be the Big 12 champions.
Oregon, Texas, Miami and Boise State would get first round byes as the four highest
In this version of the 12-team playoff the Buckeyes would be the No. 5 seed since Oregon would get the bye for the Big Ten, and they would match up against No. 12 seed BYU in the first round in a matchup that would be at Ohio Stadium.
Here are the full rankings, with just three remaining this season.
| Ranking | Team | Change |
| No. 1 | Oregon (11-0) | No Change |
| No. 2 | Ohio State (9-1) | No Change |
| No. 3 | Texas (9-1) | No Change |
| No. 4 | Penn State (9-1) | No Change |
| No. 5 | Indiana (10-0) | No Change |
| No. 6 | Notre Dame (9-1) | +2 |
| No. 7 | Alabama (8-2) | +3 |
| No. 8 | Miami (Fla.) (9-1) | +1 |
| No. 9 | Ole Miss (2-2) | +2 |
| No. 10 | Georgia (8-2) | +2 |
| No. 11 | Tennessee (8-2) | -4 |
| No. 12 | Boise State (9-1) | +1 |
| No. 13 | SMU (9-1) | +1 |
| No. 14 | BYU (9-1) | -8 |
| No. 15 | Texas A&M (8-2) | No Change |
| No. 16 | Colorado (8-2) | +1 |
| No. 17 | Clemson (8-2) | +3 |
| No. 18 | South Carolina (7-3) | +3 |
| No. 19 | Army (9-0) | +5 |
| No. 20 | Tulane (8-2) | +5 |
| No. 21 | Arizona State (8-2) | Not Ranked |
| No. 22 | Iowa State (8-2) | Not Ranked |
| No. 23 | Missouri (7-3) | No Change |
| No. 24 | UNLV (8-2) | Not Ranked |
| No. 25 | Illinois (7-3) | Not Ranked |
