Of course, there are still many games and multiple weeks before the season ends with conference championship weekend, and that means the rankings and playoff picture could drastically change between now and then. After the conference title games, the CFP committee will announce the 12 playoff teams on Selection Sunday on December 8.

College Football Playoff selection committee chairman Warde Manuel pointed toward Texas football's road wins at Michigan and Vanderbilt when explaining the committee's decision to place the Longhorns at No. 5 in the first rankings release of 2024.