Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Michigan retained their top-four spots, and Cincinnati and Utah State made their first appearances, in the Week 12 College Football Playoff Rankings.
Week 11 had been cruel to top-10 teams in the playoff era — four top-10 teams lost in Week 11 in each of the last four seasons — but all top-10 teams won last weekend. As a result, there was no movement in the top 10. However, several teams shuffled outside the top 10, including Utah State and Cincinnati making their first-ever appearance in the playoff ranking.
Week 12 College Football Playoff Rankings:
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama |
| 2 | Clemson |
| 3 | Notre Dame |
| 4 | Michigan |
| 5 | Georgia |
| 6 | Oklahoma |
| 7 | LSU |
| 8 | Washington State |
| 9 | West Virginia |
| 10 | Ohio State |
| 11 | UCF |
| 12 | Syracuse |
| 13 | Florida |
| 14 | Penn State |
| 15 | Texas |
| 16 | Iowa State |
| 17 | Kentucky |
| 18 | Washington |
| 19 | Utah |
| 20 | Boston College |
| 21 | Mississippi State |
| 22 | Northwestern |
| 23 | Utah State |
| 24 | Cincinnati |
| 25 | Boise State |
