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2025 College Football Rankings Recap: Week 12
Texas A&M (10-0) stays on top of The Davis Rankings after week 12 of the 2025 season, with a score of 94.1 out of 100. The rest of the top five: #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State, #4 Texas Tech, #5 Ole Miss.
Every score comes from the same published formula, explained on the methodology page.
The top 25
SEC It just means something, when you have... Arkansas (#126), 7th week running
| Rank | Team | Record | TDR scoreTDR | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Texas A&M | 10-0 | 94.1 | - |
| 2 |  Indiana | 11-0 | 91.4 | - |
| 3 |  Ohio State | 10-0 | 91.3 | ▼ 1 |
| 4 |  Texas Tech | 10-1 | 85.2 | ▲ 1 |
| 5 |  Ole Miss | 10-1 | 85.1 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 |  BYU | 9-1 | 84.8 | ▲ 23 |
| 7 |  Georgia | 9-1 | 84.6 | - |
| 8 |  Oregon | 9-1 | 84.3 | - |
| T-9 |  James Madison | 9-1 | 84.0 | - |
| T-9 |  North Texas | 9-1 | 84.0 | ▲ 1 |
| 11 |  Georgia Tech | 9-1 | 83.8 | ▲ 22 |
| T-12 |  Tulane | 8-2 | 80.7 | ▼ 1 |
| T-12 |  USC | 8-2 | 80.7 | - |
| T-14 |  Michigan | 8-2 | 80.6 | ▼ 1 |
| T-14 |  Notre Dame | 8-2 | 80.6 | - |
| 16 |  Virginia | 9-2 | 78.7 | ▲ 32 |
| 17 |  Oklahoma | 8-2 | 78.0 | ▲ 2 |
| 18 |  Utah | 8-2 | 77.9 | - |
| T-19 |  Navy | 8-2 | 77.1 | ▲ 31 |
| T-19 |  San Diego State | 8-2 | 77.1 | ▲ 34 |
| 21 |  Vanderbilt | 8-2 | 77.0 | ▼ 5 |
| 22 |  Houston | 8-2 | 76.9 | ▼ 5 |
| 23 |  Miami | 8-2 | 76.4 | ▲ 1 |
| 24 |  Western Kentucky | 8-2 | 76.0 | ▲ 1 |
| 25 |  UNLV | 8-2 | 75.9 | ▲ 1 |
Biggest movers
16 teams jumped two or more tiers (8 up, 8 down). 42 more moved a single tier.
Risers
| Team | From | Direction | To | Tiers | Rank | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Texas State 4-6 | Sick of It | → | Character Building | ▲ 2 | 116 → T-69 | ▲ 47 |
| After a road win at #21 Southern Miss (41-14) in a blowout. An upset: Texas State entered with 27.8 TDR points to Southern Miss's 75.2. Now 4-6, snapped a 5-game losing streak. TDR score +20.4: win/loss record +3.7, road-win bonus +0.9. | ||||||
 Kent State 4-6 | Sick of It | → | Character Building | ▲ 2 | 114 → T-69 | ▲ 45 |
| After a road win at #79 Akron (42-35) in a one-score game. An upset: Kent State entered with 28.2 TDR points to Akron's 47.6. Now 4-6. TDR score +20.0: win/loss record +3.7, road-win bonus +0.9. | ||||||
 Penn State 4-6 | Sick of It | → | Character Building | ▲ 2 | 112 → T-69 | ▲ 43 |
| After a road win at #110 Michigan State (28-10). A coin flip: Penn State entered with 28.3 TDR points to Michigan State's 28.6. Now 4-6, snapped a 6-game losing streak. TDR score +19.9: win/loss record +3.7, road-win bonus +1.0. | ||||||
 South Alabama 3-7 | Oh Crap | → | Do We Need to Talk? | ▲ 2 | 126 → T-85 | ▲ 41 |
| After a road win at #115 UL Monroe (26-14). An upset: South Alabama entered with 19.8 TDR points to UL Monroe's 28.0. Now 3-7. TDR score +20.8: win/loss record +4.3, road-win bonus +1.1. | ||||||
 Central Michigan 6-4 | Do We Need to Talk? | → | Feeling Good | ▲ 2 | 87 → 48 | ▲ 39 |
| After a home win over #60 Buffalo (38-19). An upset: Central Michigan entered with 44.0 TDR points to Buffalo's 58.1. Now 6-4. TDR score +18.2: win/loss record +2.4. | ||||||
and 3 more tier jumpers
LSU 83→45, San Diego State 53→T-19, Nevada 132→100
Fallers
| Team | From | Direction | To | Tiers | Rank | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Southern Miss 7-3 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 21 → 68 | ▼ 47 |
| After a home loss to T-116 Texas State (14-41) in a blowout. An upset: Southern Miss entered with 75.2 TDR points to Texas State's 27.8. Now 7-3, snapped a 5-game winning streak. TDR score -20.9: win/loss record -4.3, road-win bonus -1.0. | ||||||
 Pittsburgh 7-3 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 22 → 67 | ▼ 45 |
| After a home loss to #14 Notre Dame (15-37) in a blowout. As expected: Pittsburgh entered with 75.1 TDR points to Notre Dame's 78.8. Now 7-3, snapped a 5-game winning streak. AP: #23 to unranked. TDR score -20.6: win/loss record -4.3, road-win bonus -1.0. | ||||||
 Kennesaw State 7-3 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 23 → T-65 | ▼ 42 |
| After a road loss at #45 Jacksonville State (26-35). An upset: Kennesaw State entered with 75.0 TDR points to Jacksonville State's 66.7. Now 7-3, snapped a 7-game winning streak. TDR score -20.3: win/loss record -4.3, road-win bonus -0.7. | ||||||
 Texas 7-3 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 15 → 51 | ▼ 36 |
| After a road loss at #7 Georgia (10-35) in a blowout. As expected: Texas entered with 78.5 TDR points to Georgia's 83.8. Now 7-3, snapped a 4-game winning streak. AP: #10 to #17. TDR score -20.2: win/loss record -4.3, road-win bonus -0.7. | ||||||
 South Florida 7-3 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 20 → 55 | ▼ 35 |
| After a road loss at T-50 Navy (38-41) in a one-score game. An upset: South Florida entered with 75.9 TDR points to Navy's 60.5. Now 7-3. AP: #25 to unranked. TDR score -20.4: win/loss record -4.3, road-win bonus -0.7. | ||||||
and 3 more tier jumpers
Ohio 42→77, Coastal Carolina 44→T-78, Ball State 75→107
Weekly awards
Eight awards in four groups, each with one you want and one you don’t. The biggest poll gaps are in Polls vs the data, in detail under Mind the Gap. Season totals for every team are on the Awards page. The week’s game honors are in Games that mattered.
Kitchen
Who sits on top of the rankings, and who is stuck at the bottom.
Mountaineering
Two straight weeks of climbing, and two straight weeks of falling.
Biggest two-week rise, up both weeks
Biggest two-week fall, down both weeks
Mind the Gap
Where the polls and the data disagree most.
Data rank far better than any poll's
Poll rank far better than the data's
Polls vs the data, in detail
The biggest gaps between the TDR rank and the best rank in any poll. A team in no poll counts as just outside them, so its gap is a minimum (shown with a +). Gaps under 5 spots are not listed.
Wins don't matter
TDR counts every win.
| Team | TDR | AP | Coaches | CFP | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Texas 9-1 | T-9 | 22 | 23 | NR | ▲ 13 |
| James Madison 9-1 | T-9 | 21 | 22 | NR | ▲ 12 |
| Tulane 8-2 | T-12 | 24 | 25 | 24 | ▲ 12 |
| Navy 8-2 | T-19 | NR | NR | NR | ▲ 7+ |
Moving Company
The biggest single-week moves up and down the rankings.
Biggest rank rise of the week
Biggest rank fall of the week
Games that mattered
The week’s standout games, each shown once, in the first list it qualifies for. The one exception: a close loss by a top-25 team can be in both Upset of the Week and Winnin’ ain’t easy (one is about the size of the gap, the other about how close it was). Upset of the Week, Winnin’ ain’t easy and Coin Flips are recognitions: they are not trophy-case awards, so they never go on a helmet.
The lowest-entering team to beat a better-ranked one. Ranks are from the week before.
- Texas State beat Southern Miss41-14#116 vs #2195 spots
Sam Houston beat 
Delaware26-23#105 vs #5847 spots
Eastern Michigan beat 
Ball State24-9#119 vs #7544 spots- Kent State beat
Akron42-35#114 vs #7935 spots 
Georgia Southern beat 
Coastal Carolina45-40#74 vs #4430 spots
A top-25 team in a one-score game against a team ranked far below it: it survived, or it fell. Ranks are from the week before.
- Texas A&M beat
South Carolina31-30#1 vs #109top-25 team survived by 1 - Michigan beat
Northwestern24-22#13 vs #85top-25 team survived by 2 - Navy beat South Florida41-38#50 vs #20top-25 team fell by 3
- USC beat
Iowa26-21#12 vs #67top-25 team survived by 5
Teams within 3 points of each other on paper going in, closest finish first. Scores are away, then home.
Oregon State at 
Tulsa14-312.3 points apartwon by 17- Penn State at
Michigan State28-100.3 points apartwon by 18
One-score games involving a top-60 team that are not already above.
Clemson beat 
Louisville20-19#50 vs T-65won by 1
LSU beat 
Arkansas23-22#45 vs #126won by 1- Oklahoma beat
Alabama23-21#17 vs #43won by 2 
Arizona State beat 
West Virginia25-23#27 vs #109won by 2- Georgia Tech beat
Boston College36-34#11 vs T-133won by 2
The biggest margins by a team in the current top 50, the two top tiers.
- James Madison beat
App State58-10T-9 vs T-104won by 48 - Texas Tech beat
UCF48-9#4 vs T-102won by 39 - Ohio State beat
UCLA48-10#3 vs #110won by 38
Where the CFP committee and the data disagree
Teams the formula likes more than the committee
| Team | TDR | CFP | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison 9-1 | T-9 | NR | ▲ 17+ |
| North Texas 9-1 | T-9 | NR | ▲ 17+ |
| Tulane 8-2 | T-12 | 24 | ▲ 12 |
Teams the committee likes more than the formula
Conference snapshot
Conferences by average team score, with how many of each conference's teams sit in each tier. This is a different measure from the non-conference record ranking (for this week) on the standings page.
| Conference | Avg score | Highest-ranked team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC | 59.3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | #1Texas A&M |
| Big Ten | 56.4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | #2Indiana |
| Big 12 | 54.6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | #4Texas Tech |
| American Athletic | 52.3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | T-9North Texas |
| ACC | 51.3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | #11Georgia Tech |
| Mountain West | 48.8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | T-19San Diego State |
| Sun Belt | 47.1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | T-9James Madison |
| Conference USA | 43.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | #24Western Kentucky |
| Mid-American | 39.4 | - | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | #47 Western Michigan |
Winning | Feeling Good | Character Building | Do We Need to Talk? | Sick of It | Oh Crap
The most teams in the Winning tier: SEC and Big Ten (5 each). The most teams in the bottom two tiers (Sick of It and Oh Crap): Big Ten and ACC and Mid-American (5 each).
Not ranked as a conference: FBS Independents (not a conference: Notre Dame T-14, UConn #26); Pac-12 (only 2 teams: Washington State #53, Oregon State #130).
Conference race
Who leads each conference and what the title game picture looks like. Ties are shown as ties, never broken: each conference decides them with its own rules. See the full conference standings.
| Conference | Leaders | Title game |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | Texas A&M 7-0 | FinalChampion: Georgia |
| Big Ten | Indiana 8-0Ohio State 7-0 | FinalChampion: Indiana |
| Big 12 | Texas Tech 7-1 | FinalChampion: Texas Tech |
| American Athletic | Navy 6-1 | FinalChampion: Tulane |
| ACC | Georgia Tech 6-1Virginia 6-1 | FinalChampion: Duke |
| Mountain West | San Diego State 5-1 | FinalChampion: Boise State |
| Sun Belt | East James Madison 7-0West Southern Miss 5-1 | FinalChampion: James Madison |
| Conference USA | FinalChampion: Kennesaw State | |
| Mid-American | Western Michigan 5-1 | FinalChampion: Western Michigan |
Looking ahead to week 13
The biggest games between current top-25 teams, best matchup first.
Show all 60 games between ranked teams
Every game next week between two ranked FBS teams, best matchup first. The matchup score is the two ranks added together plus how far apart they are (lower is better). A coin marks a toss-up by the numbers.
#42 
#53 
#33 
#54 
#56 
#33 
#59 
#60 
#63 
#63 
#33 
#39 
#36 
#61 
#82 
#80 
#84 
#37 
#85 
#87 
#73 
#89 
#29 
#89 
#44 
#72 
#89 
#30 
#95 
#26 
#99 
#101 
#100 
#102 
#61 
#81 
#104 
#104 
#89 
#49 
#31 
#111 
#28 
#112 
#46 
#112 
#115 
#117 
#118 
#39 
#118 
#120 
#123 
#124 
#125 
#127 
#73 
#122 
#128 
#131 
#132 
#78 
#77 See the full 2025 week 12 rankings, see every team by tier, the conference standings, or browse every weekly recap.
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