The first rankings for the 12-team College Football Playoff format will be released tonight for the second time. This will be the second year of the new format. Ahead of the final verdict, the inaugural rankings are set in stone for the first week following the committee’s gathering.
According to PFSN’s Football Playoff Meter, the most likely Group of Five team to earn a spot in the playoff would be James Madison University. However, despite going 7-1 on the season with a 27.74% chance of making the playoffs, they remained unranked.
No Group of Five Teams Ranked in Initial College Football Playoff Rankings
The second-year 12 team College Football Playoff rankings have been released, with Ohio State stealing all the headlines, being ranked first overall in the country. However, one thing that has gone under the radar is the lack of any significant representation from the Group of Five.
No team from a Group of 5 conference was ranked in the initial CFP rankings. If this were to happen in the final rankings, the committee would simply select what they believe is the best G5 conference champion to be the 12 seed.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 5, 2025
“No team from a Group of 5 conference was ranked in the initial CFP rankings. If this were to happen in the final rankings, the committee would simply select what they believe is the best G5 conference champion to be the 12 seed.” Ross Dellenger revealed
While James Madison has gained significant traction as a potential playoff team, another program to miss out was the Memphis Tigers, who were ranked inside the top 25 of the most recent AP Poll. After going 8-1 on the season, a shocking loss to UAB is the most likely factor keeping them out of the rankings.
Going into today’s rankings, the expectation was that the Tigers would be the only ranked Group of Five team. This would have placed them as the No.12 seed in the bracket. If the final top 25 does not contain any Group of Five teams, the conference champion deemed the best will occupy that seed.
However, according to the PFSN playoff meter, the most likely team to advance from the Tigers’ conference is North Texas. According to the aforementioned metrics, North Texas have a 19.27% chance of reaching the playoffs as favorites for the title.
“As Rece Davis noted on the broadcast, the selection committee would extend their rankings beyond 25 by continuing to rank *all* teams until they arrived at the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion.” Dellenger explained further.
As it stands, according to PFSN’s playoff meter, there are three teams in contention for the No.12 seed in the American Conference. Memphis, as well as North Texas, is 8-1, and South Florida, which is 6-2 this season.
Currently, the teams bordering on the bottom five, which is where Memphis would most likely have been ranked, are Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Missouri, Washington, and Michigan. With the Volunteers at 6-3, the Tigers may still potentially find their way in.