ESPN’s Heather Dinich projects the CFP top 12 after Week 3
By David Wasson
Published:
Notre Dame falling very much out of the College Football Playoff calculus after just three weeks of the 2025 season is just one surprising aspect of what we have seen so far in the sport.
According to ESPN’s Heather Dinich, the Aggies’ 41-40 victory over the Fighting Irish in South Bend on Saturday night overshadowed what was an equally wild overtime win by Georgia against Tennessee in Knoxville.
Texas A&M’s victory vaulted the Aggies up to No. 5 in Dinich’s CFP top 12 that was released Sunday, as she noted that the win by Mike Elko’s squad was one of the best nonconference wins of the young season.
Dinich ranks the Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 1, even though an intra-state victory against the MAC’s Ohio Bobcats didn’t particularly impress anyone. The Miami Hurricanes check in at No. 2, with the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 3 and the LSU Tigers at No. 4.
Dinich also ranks the Oklahoma Sooners at No. 9, the Tennessee Volunteers at No. 10 and the Texas Longhorns at No. 12 through Week 3 – giving the Southeastern Conference 6 teams a theoretical spot in the 12-team CFP.
There is plenty of football left, of course, but it is looking good so far for the SEC in the race for the postseason.
Here is Dinich’s full top 12:
- Ohio State
- Miami
- Georgia
- LSU
- Texas A&M
- Oregon
- Florida State
- Penn State
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Illinois
- Texas
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
