Judging by the chaos we’ve already seen in college football this season, it’s no surprise that early CFP rankings are just as unpredictable as the product on the field.
The only certainty in Tuesday night’s rankings was that Miami would top the polls after a tough outing against North Carolina.
Now, with a showdown against No. 8 Notre Dame looming this weekend, this is shaping up to be a playoff game for the No. 11-ranked Fighting Irish.
And let me be clear for people who don’t track on a weekly basis: don’t panic yet, just give it a few weeks.
But yes, you have my permission to start getting extremely nervous about the upcoming weekend, Notre Dame fans. It’s clear that the CFP committee is telling Marcus Freeman’s team that they better beat No. 1 Miami on Saturday, or their chances of making the playoffs will depend on everyone else losing.
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Remember, this is the final season of the twelve-team playoffs, with an expansion to 24 teams next year as ESPN and CFP finalize their new television deal.
Well, the Southeastern Conference must feel good about the rankings
Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts in the second quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Getty Images)
As for what’s going on in the SEC, well, they came out pretty fragrant after spending the entire offseason emphasizing the strength of the schedule metrics. Now the conference should be fantastic on Wednesday morning, with Georgia sitting in second place in early polls.
Alabama coming in at No. 5 and Kentucky being ranked No. 6 gives them a pretty solid landing spot if one of these teams were to suffer another loss.
In reality, if Kentucky beats No. 13 Tennessee this weekend in Knoxville, the Cats can afford one more loss and still earn a playoff bid.
But why the hell is Alabama ranked eight spots ahead of Tennessee if the Vols won the head-to-head matchup last month?
“The head-to-head matchup between Tennessee and Alabama will not come into play at this point due to where these two teams are in the seeding process,” explained CFP President Hunter Yurachek.
No. 7 Texas is the only current team in the country with wins against three ranked teams, with a number of others, including Kentucky, BYU, Alabama, Ole Miss and Ohio State, being the ones with two wins this season so far.
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How many spots could the Big Ten accumulate? Buckeyes on the verge of eviction
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day leaves the field after the Buckeyes defeated Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana on October 17, 2026. (Getty Images)
It was undefeated No. 8 UCLA that ranked behind No. 4 Indiana, after the Hoosiers hung on for dear life against Minnesota last weekend, as the committee proved confusing given the Hoosiers’ strength of schedule.
We could see a year in which the Big Ten might only have two teams make the College Football Playoff, especially if No. 12 Ohio State can’t figure out life without Julian Sayin.
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The Buckeyes, in my opinion, deserved to be ranked in this area. But the argument about head-to-head matchups wasn’t even discussed by the committee because Ohio State was not in the same group of teams, according to chairman Hunter Yurachek.
“They didn’t look like the same Ohio State team last weekend against Southern Cal”
And it’s not hard to argue that the Buckeyes were worth working for their spot. Clearly, they have time to prove to the world that they are a better football team than what we saw against USC, although Hunter Yurachek highlighted their defense more than their offensive production.
Indiana has no ranked wins this season and has won four of its five against Power Conference schools by one score.
What did Indiana do to be ranked so high? And now, with USC ranked 20th in the first poll, that could also give the Big Ten a spot if the Trojans win, while Indiana might not fall as far if they lose at home next week to Lincoln Riley’s team.
See you, Big 12. This could get really fun
The Big 12 could be in an even more interesting position.
No. 3 Utah is the top-ranked team in the conference, but No. 9 BYU has a chance to turn things around in the postseason when the two teams meet in Saturday’s “Holy War.”
The Big 12 could potentially receive as many playoff bids as the Big Ten, although there is still a full month of the regular season remaining.
If the conference wants to place three teams in the College Football Playoff, BYU will likely have to win, while No. 15 Texas Tech will have to finish the regular season undefeated. Utah will then most likely have to defeat BYU in the conference championship game.
This scenario would give BYU a legitimate argument for inclusion in the final CFP rankings, while Utah would receive the automatic bid and Texas Tech could make a strong case with just one loss.
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The Utah Utes huddle before a game against the Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah on October 18, 2025. (ISI photos via Getty Images)
The College Football Playoff Top 25 has fans talking
While in the past we could have countless arguments surrounding the shenanigans that accompany CFP committee rankings, this season might actually need a little mercy.
Having to make these kinds of decisions, based on the sheer madness we have witnessed over the past eight weeks, has certainly made life difficult for committee members.
“We still believe that as a committee there will be a lot of movement throughout the Top 25 rankings, and we look forward to the task at hand,” CFP President Hunter Yurachek said after the rankings were released.
“It will be a difficult task. This weekend is huge for college football”
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 17, 2026. (IMAGINE IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Now, there’s always something to nitpick, but this year proved that any given Saturday could result in something wild within the Top-25.
Is this really an elite team this season? We’re about to find out over the next month.
- 1.Miami
- 2. Georgia
- 3. Utah
- 4. Indiana
- 5.Alabama
- 6.Kentucky
- 7.Texas
- 8.UCLA
- 9. BYU
- 10. Old Miss
- 11. Notre Dame
- 12. Ohio State
- 13.Tennessee
- 14. LSU
- 15. Texas Technology
- 16. Wake Up Forest
- 17. Houston
- 18.Missouri
- 19. Iowa
- 20.USC
- 21. South Carolina
- 22.Arizona
- 23. Oregon
- 24. Florida
- 25. Boise State
What the first round would look like today and the quarterfinals
Now that we know what the field will look like on November 3, we can assess what the first round will look like with on-campus games.
No. 12 Ohio State at No. 5 Alabama
No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 6 Kentucky
No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Texas
No. 9 BYU at No. 8 UCLA
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Quarter-finals (Fiesta, Peach, Rose, Cotton Bowls)
No. 1 Miami vs. No. 8/No. 9 winner
Georgia No. 2 vs. No. 7/No. 10 winner
No. 3 Utah vs. No. 6/No. 11 winner
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5/No. 12 winner
We’re in for a crazy November, and there will be a lot of nervous people across the country tuning in over the next four weeks.
One thing we learned after the first CFP rankings of the 2026 season is that there will be plenty of chaotic moments ahead, but Notre Dame better win this weekend if it plans to spend its December preparing for the postseason.
Gn sports
