After nearly 1,600 matchups and several weeks of wrangling, the final College Football Playoff Rankings of the 2022 seasons have been revealed. The reigning champion Georgia Bulldogs sit atop the nation, but who makes up the rest of the 2022 CFP rankings, and who will contest the College Football Playoff with a chance to play for the 2023 College Football National Championship in Inglewood, California?
College Football Playoff Rankings
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Kirby Smart’s team marched imperiously through the 2022 college football season and will defend their crown as the No. 1 ranked team in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The Bulldogs were ranked third in the initial CFP rankings, but after beating Tennessee in Week 10, they jumped up to the first spot and have held on ever since.
Georgia finished the year with a 13-0 record and were crowned the SEC champions after a commanding 50-30 win over LSU in the title game. That win marked the 12th time in the 2022 season that the Bulldogs won by more than double digits. Built on the back of the second-best scoring defense in the nation, Georgia averaged nearly 40 points per game.
2. Michigan Wolverines
Initially left on the outside looking in after the first set of College Football Playoff rankings were revealed, Michigan forced their way inside the top four in Week 10. Their win over bitter rival Ohio State in the regular-season finale saw the Wolverines ascend into the second spot. They solidified that position in the final CFP rankings — and secured a place in the Fiesta Bowl — with a Big Ten Championship win over the Purdue Boilermakers.
Michigan was arguably one of the most balanced sides in the nation, in a year where the CFP Selection Committee consistently referenced balance as a significant factor in their consideration.
The Wolverines were the only team in the College Football Playoff top four that finished the year with offensive and defensive units ranked in the top 10 in all of college football. The win over Ohio State nullified any argument about strength of schedule.
3. TCU Horned Frogs
After their nail-biting Big 12 Championship Game loss to Kansas State, 12-1 TCU had an anxious overnight wait to see if they’d be bumped out of College Football Playoff consideration. They needn’t have worried.
Sonny Dykes’ team finished the year as the third-ranked team in the final rankings, booking a place in the Fiesta Bowl. It’s the first time the Horned Frogs have made the final four in the CFP era.
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Ultimately, TCU’s sometimes electric, sometimes gritty, always effective offense and a résumé that included multiple ranked wins were enough to eradicate the initial concerns of the CFP Selection Committee.
Despite being undefeated, the Horned Frogs were ranked just seventh in the initial rankings, with their defense and repeated need to win from behind being cited as reasons why they weren’t originally deemed good enough for the top four.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
While the top three spots in the final College Football Playoff rankings were essentially locked down — despite the anxious wait for TCU — the fourth and final spot was something of a contentious issue.
Occupied by USC ahead of Championship Weekend, the Trojans’ loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship opened the door for a swathe of teams to challenge for inclusion. Notably, Alabama coach Nick Saban took to national television to make his case for the Crimson Tide.
Ultimately, and understandably, fifth-place Ohio State vaulted over the Trojans and into the fourth spot. Ryan Day’s team finished the year with the second-ranked scoring offense in college football, a defensive unit that was substantially improved compared to the previous season.
Their only defeat came to the No. 2 ranked team in the final CFP rankings. With a résumé that trumped everyone else behind them, the Buckeyes booked a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.
