College Football Playoff rankings 2022: Projected final Top 25 after Georgia and Michigan dominate, USC and TCU give Ohio State help
The final College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed on Sunday afternoon, so what did USC and TCU losing while Michigan and Georgia dominated mean?
Conference championship week was ready to wreak havoc on the College Football Playoff rankings like so many weeks before have. But this time it was bigger. This time, there was no time to make up for stumbling. This time, it was all leading into the final CFP rankings that are set to be revealed on Sunday, Dec. 4.
USC got the chaos started as the previously No. 4-ranked team fell to Utah for the second time this year in the Pac-12 Championship Game. TCU then followed suit early as they weren’t able to beat Kansas State for the second time. Georgia and Michigan, however, were not in that boat as they dominated to finish perfect seasons with a conference title. And all of that was music to the ears of Ohio State and Alabama fans.
So now it’s time for the final College Football Playoff rankings. What will they look like? We have our projected Top 25 for the last time this season.
Table of Contents:
- No. 25-21: UTSA, Troy finally crack the Top 25
- No. 20-16: LSU clings to Top 20 spot after SEC Championship Game loss.
- No. 15-11: Tulane climbs into Top 15
- No. 10-9: Utah’s Pac-12 title earns a Top 10 finish
- No. 8-7: Kansas State moves up with Big 12 title
- No. 6-5: Who’s the first team out of the College Football Playoff?
- No. 4-3: TCU stays in the Top 4
- No. 2-1: Georgia, Michigan leave no doubts
Projected College Football Playoff rankings after Week 14: No. 25-21
25. UTSA Roadrunners
Is a Conference USA championship enough for the Roadrunners to finally meep meep their way into the Top 25? Frank Harris and UTSA have been deserving of a look for the CFP rankings for some time, but with some teams dropping out after conference championship game losses, it’s hard to deny a team that ran through North Texas on Friday to capture the C-USA crown.
24. NC State Wolfpack
Perhaps one of the wildest stats of the 2022 college football season is that the NC State Wolfpack won games with four different quarterbacks this season due to injury. That’s a remarkable accomplishment for this 8-4 team on the season. They capped off the year with a rivalry win over North Carolina and have to feel good about what Dave Doren has built in Raleigh.
23. Troy Trojans
Much like UTSA, it’s a bit baffling that Troy hasn’t been ranked prior to this week. But also like the Roadrunners, the Trojans dominated their conference championship matchup as they completely ran through Coastal Carolina en route to a 45-26 victory to finish the year at 11-2. This is one of the best defenses in the country, not just at the G5 level, and they earned respect from the selection committee.
22. Mississippi State Bulldogs
In all honesty, there’s a part of me that can’t escape the feeling that Mississippi State is ranked to justify having Alabama in position to potentially make the College Football Playoff. Alas, Mike Leach’s team did finish the year at a solid 8-4 on the season but with no wins over teams that are ranked inside of the Top 25 at the end of the season. Talk about a bit of an inauspicious resumé.
21. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
It was clear from the jump that there were problems with the Notre Dame roster, particularly on offense, that were highlighted in the loss to Marshall and during the awful start as a whole. But Fighting Irish fans should feel optimistic about Marcus Freeman moving forward for pulling this team out of that hole to finish 8-4 with some big wins, including knocking off Clemson – even if they couldn’t do the same to USC.