For the first time in Big Ten Championship Game history, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams will meet in Indianapolis.
The CFP committee ranked Ohio State and Indiana as the top teams in college football for the fifth straight week on Tuesday. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers checked in ahead of Georgia, Texas Tech and Oregon in the top five. Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Notre Dame, BYU and Miami rounded out the top 12.
| Rank | Team | Record | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 OHIO STATE
|
12-0 | Big Ten |
| 2 |
 INDIANA
|
12-0 | Big Ten |
| 3 |
 GEORGIA
|
11-1 | SEC |
| 4 |
 TEXAS TECH
|
11-1 | Big 12 |
| 5 |
 OREGON
|
11-1 | Big Ten |
| 6 |
 OLE MISS
|
11-1 | SEC |
| 7 |
 TEXAS A&M
|
11-1 | SEC |
| 8 |
 OKLAHOMA
|
10-2 | SEC |
| 9 |
 ALABAMA
|
10-2 | SEC |
| 10 |
 NOTRE DAME
|
10-2 | FBS Independents |
| 11 |
 BYU
|
11-1 | Big 12 |
| 12 |
 MIAMI (FL)
|
10-2 | ACC |
| 13 |
 TEXAS
|
9-3 | SEC |
| 14 |
 VANDERBILT
|
10-2 | SEC |
| 15 |
 UTAH
|
10-2 | Big 12 |
| 16 |
 USC
|
9-3 | Big Ten |
| 17 |
 VIRGINIA
|
10-2 | ACC |
| 18 |
 ARIZONA
|
9-3 | Big 12 |
| 19 |
 MICHIGAN
|
9-3 | Big Ten |
| 20 |
 TULANE
|
10-2 | American Athletic |
| 21 |
 HOUSTON
|
9-3 | Big 12 |
| 22 |
 GEORGIA TECH
|
9-3 | ACC |
| 23 |
 IOWA
|
8-4 | Big Ten |
| 24 |
 NORTH TEXAS
|
11-1 | American Athletic |
| 25 |
 JAMES MADISON
|
11-1 | Sun Belt |
In addition to Ohio State vs. Indiana, this weekend’s conference championship slate features:
Friday
- Conference USA: Kennesaw State vs. Jacksonville State (7 p.m. on CBSSN)
- Sun Belt: Troy vs. No. 25 James Madison (7 p.m. on ESPN)
- American: No. 24 North Texas vs. No. 20 Tulane (8 p.m. on ABC)
- Mountain West: UNLV vs. Boise State (8 p.m. on FOX)
Saturday
- MAC: Miami (Ohio) vs. Western Michigan (Noon on ESPN)
- Big 12: No. 11 BYU vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (Noon on ABC)
- SEC: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 9 Alabama (4 p.m. on ABC)
- ACC: Duke vs. No. 17 Virginia (8 p.m. on ABC)
- Big Ten: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 1 Ohio State (8 p.m. on FOX)
Ohio State went undefeated in the regular season. The Buckeyes opened the year with a 14-7 win over No. 13 Texas, then beat 10 straight unranked opponents before a 27-9 beatdown of No. 19 Michigan in The Game.
The Buckeyes are now No. 1 in the CFP, AP Poll and Coaches Poll. They are also No. 1 in Bill Connelly’s SP+ and ESPN’s College Football Power Index. ESPN lists Ohio State at No. 2 in strength of record, behind Indiana. However, the Buckeyes rank No. 1 in game control — a metric that reflects the “chance an average top 25 team would control games from start to end the way this team did, given the schedule” — while Indiana ranks No. 4.
The Big Ten Championship Game winner will secure the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and a trip to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026. With the top four teams now receiving first-round byes, the loser will likely slip in the rankings but still likely remain inside the top four.
