2025 CFP Rankings: Michigan’s CFP hopes hang in the balance vs Ohio State

SB Nation

The latest installment of the College Football Playoff rankings was released Tuesday night. Thanks in large part to the SEC’s continued scheduling of less-than-formidable opponents in Week 13, there was barely

any movement in the rankings.

The FanDuel betting favorite, Ohio State, remained No. 1 after a dominant second half against Rutgers. In fact, the entire Top-10 remained the same, just in a slightly different order. In order behind the Buckeyes are Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia, Texas Tech, Oregon, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama. The only difference from last week was that the Ducks and Rebels switched places at six and seven (insert Gen Z joke).

No. 12 Miami would be in the CFP as an 11-seed ACC champion and would be joined by No. 24 Tulane as the 12-seed and Group of Six representative if the postseason began today.

Michigan’s path to the CFP

The Michigan Wolverines moved up three spots to No. 15 after blowing out Maryland, 45-20. Michigan now sits at 9-2 on the season, and everything comes down to The Game. The road may look crowded ahead of the Wolverines, but if they can knock off the juggernaut of Ohio State, no team will have a better argument for inclusion. Furthermore, what fan of football wouldn’t want the chance of the first-ever CFP rematch between the bitter rivals? Here are the official FanDuel odds.

But for those seeking a cleaner entry into the CFP, here is a rooting guide for rivalry week:

Oregon losing to Washington. The Ducks did Michigan a solid by knocking off USC last weekend, and now if they could do the honor of losing on the road to Washington, the Wolverines could find a way to Indianapolis. If Washington beats Oregon (semi-big ‘if’) and Michigan beats Ohio State (big ‘if’), the Wolverines would face Indiana in the Big Ten Championship.
Rooting for Scott Frost is wrong, but necessary. BYU stands at 10-1 and is a big favorite over Scott Frost and UCF. Even with a win, BYU would have to beat Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship to make the CFP, but if that happens, that is a potential doomsday scenario for Michigan and several other bubble teams.
Miami losing to Pitt. This is a conference game, so Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi should care.
Auburn winning the Iron Bowl. This feels like rooting for Little Brother, but this rivalry never fails to produce spectacularly crazy moments.
Vanderbilt losing to Tennessee. I hate rooting against fun, yet here I am.
Utah losing to Kansas. Even with a win, Michigan would jump Utah, but just to be sure, the Utes losing would add peace of mind.