The College Football Playoff rankings 2026 arrived last night, and the committee led the way with the #1 Miami Hurricanes, the #2 Georgia Bulldogs, the #3 Utah Utes and the #4 Indiana Hoosiers. There was plenty of SEC involved while putting the #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the bubble to shock many fans and made fans of the #12 Ohio State Buckeyes worried for the future without Julian Sayin. Below is the full Top 25, plus the reaction and what to watch next.
We break down how the College Football Playoff picture looks after the first release, why the committee drew its lines where it did and which games could shake up next week’s order.
🏈 2026 College Football Playoff Rankings & Full Top 25 List
The committee unveiled its first Top 25 last night during an hour-long show on ESPN, with chair Hunter Yurachek explaining the decisions afterward. Our College Football Playoff rankings 2026 table lists every team with its record. The SEC placed 10 of the 25 teams, more than any other league, not that it was much of a surprise. Again, it's only the first iteration of it, but here is the new 2026 CFB playoff rankings list:
- Miami Hurricanes (8-0)
- Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
- Utah Utes (8-0)
- Indiana Hoosiers (8-1)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)
- Kentucky Wildcats (7-1)
- Texas Longhorns (6-2)
- UCLA Bruins (8-0)
- BYU Cougars (7-1)
- Ole Miss Rebels (6-2)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2)
- Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
- LSU Tigers (6-2)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-1)
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-1)
- Houston Cougars (6-2)
- Missouri Tigers (6-2)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)
- USC Trojans (7-2)
- South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3)
- Arizona Wildcats (6-2)
- Oregon Ducks (5-3)
- Florida Gators (5-3)
- Boise State Broncos (7-1)
If the field were set today, the college football playoff picture would send Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana straight to the quarterfinals with first-round byes. The #5 Alabama Crimson Tide would host the Boise State Broncos, the #8 UCLA Bruins would host the BYU Cougars and the #6 Kentucky Wildcats would host Notre Dame in the first round. For those wondering about Ohio State - Boise State holds the final spot as the highest-ranked Group of Six team, which bumps out the Buckeyes.
🤔 When Do College Football Playoff Rankings Come Out
The College Football Playoff rankings 2026 come out every Tuesday night on ESPN, and the first release arrived last night. That means that the next set lands Tuesday, November 10, and the committee reveals the final 12-team field on Selection Sunday, December 6.
- Tuesday, November 3: 7 to 8 PM ET
- Tuesday, November 10: 9 to 9:30 PM ET
- Tuesday, November 17: 9 to 9:30 PM ET
- Tuesday, November 24: 7:30 to 8 PM ET
- Tuesday, December 1: 7 to 7:30 PM ET
- Sunday, December 6: noon to 3 PM ET
Keep this 2026 CFB playoff rankings schedule handy, because the weekly Tuesday releases run through December 1 before the committee finalizes the field on Selection Sunday. Each show gives fans a fresh look at how the committee weighs wins, losses and strength of schedule.
✍🏼 Biggest Takeaways From The New CFP Rankings
The first College Football Playoff rankings 2026 release answered some questions and raised plenty of new ones, so here are the biggest takeaways.
Miami opens on top with a big test ahead. The #1 Miami Hurricanes are one of three unbeaten teams, along with the #3 Utah Utes and the #8 UCLA Bruins. Their next game is a trip to face the #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, which gives the committee a fresh look at whether the top spot holds up against a ranked opponent. Prior to these new rankings, it was actually a top-five clash.
The SEC got plenty of love. The league landed 10 of the 25 spots and five of the top 10, and the #5 Alabama Crimson Tide became the highest-ranked two-loss team after earning the edge over the #6 Kentucky Wildcats on its head-to-head result. Two-loss Alabama and the #7 Texas Longhorns also sit ahead of unbeaten UCLA, a gap that says a lot about how the committee is weighing schedules in the college football playoff picture. The Tide are also well ahead of a Tennessee Longhorns team that smacked them not too long ago.
Notre Dame lands on the bubble. The Fighting Irish would be the last team in the field, and chair Hunter Yurachek said the committee is impressed with them on both sides of the ball but sees no signature win, since their only top-25 matchup was a loss at BYU. Saturday’s home game against Miami is the chance to change that story in a hurry and prove the “eye test” that everyone talks about.
Ohio State is the first team out. The #12 Ohio State Buckeyes sit eight spots behind the #4 Indiana Hoosiers even though they beat Indiana, and the committee made clear that last weekend’s loss at the USC Trojans mattered in the 2026 CFB playoff rankings. The Buckeyes get a quick chance to respond on Saturday at home against the #23 Oregon Ducks, but again, the committee will judge this team in the lens of being WITHOUT Julian Sayin.
The final spot belongs to Boise State. The #25 Boise State Broncos are the highest-ranked Group of Six team, which would earn them the last spot in the 12-team field if the bracket were set today. That is a thin margin, because any contender that passes them would push the Broncos out, so every Saturday matters in the race for that final bid.
👀 What To Watch Heading Into Next Week’s Playoff Rankings
With the first College Football Playoff rankings 2026 release complete, these key Saturday matchups could reshape the committee’s next Top 25 on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
#1 Miami visits #11 Notre Dame in a ranked-on-ranked game that gives the Fighting Irish the signature win the chair said they lack. For Miami, one more road victory would answer questions about a resume that has had some close wins and could-have-been losses.
#2 Georgia travels to face the #10 Ole Miss Rebels in a game that can protect the Bulldogs’ hold on a bye or hand the Rebels a marquee win. Either result will move several teams around it, so expect real shifts in the next Top 25.
#9 BYU visits #3 Utah in a Big 12 showdown between two of the league’s best teams. Utah’s lone ranked win so far came against the Houston Cougars, so beating BYU would add real weight to the Utes’ resume, while a BYU win would knock of an undefeated team.
#23 Oregon visits #12 Ohio State, where the Buckeyes can soften the sting of the USC loss with a win over a team at the bottom of the rankings. The Ducks, meanwhile, can climb into the at-large conversation with a road upset to try and salvage a disappointing season.
The college football playoff picture will look different again when the committee releases its next rankings on Tuesday, November 10. That show airs from 9 to 9:30 PM ET on ESPN.