Miami leads the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season, released November 3. But the list is not simply a sorting of teams by wins and losses: unbeaten UCLA sits below two-loss Alabama and Texas.
This guide follows the official committee order, not our own power ranking. Records reflect games played through October 31. The ten entries below explain what stands out, without treating a November position as a guaranteed playoff place. Official rankings.
1. Miami: 8–0
The Hurricanes reach No. 1 in the CFP rankings for the first time. Miami is the 11th program to lead the committee’s list and the first ACC team to do so since Clemson in 2017. This is a program milestone, rather than another routine appearance atop a weekly poll.
2. Georgia: 7–1
Georgia is the highest-ranked team with a loss. Its next game offers a direct comparison with another member of this list: a November 7 trip to Ole Miss. Georgia’s official preview also lists the Bulldogs at No. 2 in the AP poll, so the two rankings agree here. Georgia’s game preview.
3. Utah: 8–0
Utah’s unbeaten start earns its highest CFP position yet, improving on the program’s previous best of fifth. The Utes are the second undefeated team in this top ten, behind Miami.
4. Indiana: 8–1
Indiana sits two places above its No. 6 position in the AP Top 25. That difference is a useful reminder that the committee does not copy the media poll. Readers following weekly AP rankings should check which list a headline means before interpreting a team’s position. AP poll on NCAA.com.
5. Alabama: 6–2
Alabama is the highest-ranked two-loss team. Its next opponent is LSU on November 7, according to the school’s schedule. The Tide’s placement above several teams with fewer losses illustrates why a win–loss record alone cannot reproduce the committee’s order. Alabama schedule.
6. Kentucky: 7–1
Kentucky also sets a program CFP record. Sixth improves on its previous high of ninth, making the Wildcats one of the opening release’s clearest milestone stories. That milestone applies specifically to the CFP committee rankings, rather than every college-football poll in Kentucky’s history.
7. Texas: 6–2
Texas has a notable result on its official schedule: a 24–23 win over Ohio State on September 12. Next comes a November 7 road game at Missouri. Those details provide more useful context than describing Texas only as a two-loss team, without claiming to know the weight each result received in committee voting. Texas schedule.
8. UCLA: 8–0
UCLA’s perfect record comes with a strong defensive profile. Its athletics department reports 13.4 points and 260.8 yards allowed per game, both among the national top ten. Those figures give readers concrete performance context alongside the Bruins’ eighth-place position. UCLA’s rankings report.
9. BYU: 7–1
BYU opens inside the CFP top ten for a third consecutive season. The Cougars’ own release places them seventh in the AP poll and eighth in the coaches poll, compared with ninth here. It is a compact example of three different ranking systems reaching different judgments about the same team. BYU’s release.
10. Ole Miss: 6–2
Ole Miss completes the ten and hosts Georgia next. The matchup puts the tenth-ranked team against the second-ranked team, giving viewers a direct meeting to follow rather than relying only on comparisons between separate schedules. Georgia’s official preview confirms both the venue and the teams’ records.
What happens next?
The next rankings arrive November 10, with the show scheduled for 9–9:30 p.m. Eastern. The committee selects the final 12-team bracket on December 6. Treat this list as a dated snapshot, not the finished postseason field. CFP process and dates.
For more American-football reading, explore our guide to ten Baltimore Ravens games and the NFL team’s different eras.