Clemson began the season at No. 4 in the AP poll, and Florida State rose all the way to No. 7 amid a 3-0 start. At one point or another, both were expected to be among the top teams in the ACC and potentially even national championship contenders.

The College Football Playoff Committee released its initial set of rankings for the 2025 season on Tuesday night. For the first time this season, fans have a good idea of where teams stand, what the committee values for each team's resume, and how the remaining schedule could impact each.

The Irish are the highest-ranked two-loss team in the CFP’s first rankings, slotted ahead of three one-loss teams from Power 4 conferences.

Those modest rankings for the Trojans, Hawkeyes, Wolverines and Huskies make their paths to the playoff fairly clear; they will likely need to win out and finish the regular season at 10-2 in order to clinch a berth.