11/3/2026 6:21:00 PM | Football
IRVING, Texas – The CFP (College Football Playoff) Selection Committee released its first rankings of the 2026 season as of games played through Saturday, October 31.
The CFP Selection Committee evaluates teams on a comprehensive body of work, not by any single metric. Rankings are determined by comparing the full profile of teams.
The selection committee utilizes three sources to measure a team's performance: video, data (via a customized portal) and conference input.
When teams look comparable, members apply the following four principles:
The CFP Selection Committee will next meet November 9-10. Its next set of rankings will be revealed on Tuesday, November 10 at approximately 9 p.m. ET live on ESPN and the ESPN app.
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the competition that crowns the true national champion in college football. The format of the CFP is built on a 12-team bracket. The 12 participating schools are the conference champions from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference and the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 Conference or Sun Belt Conference, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams. The University of Notre Dame will be included in the playoff if it is ranked among the top 12 teams in the final CFP rankings. Four CFP First-Round games are played on host campuses, followed by the CFP Quarterfinals and CFP Semifinals, which rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The CFP National Championship will be on Monday, January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. For additional information on the CFP, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.
CFP SELECTION COMMITTEE RANKINGS
GAMES PLAYED THROUGH SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
GAMES PLAYED THROUGH SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
| RANK | TEAM | OVERALL RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 8-0 |
| 2 | Georgia | 7-1 |
| 3 | Utah | 8-0 |
| 4 | Indiana | 8-1 |
| 5 | Alabama | 6-2 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 7-1 |
| 7 | Texas | 6-2 |
| 8 | UCLA | 8-0 |
| 9 | BYU | 7-1 |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 6-2 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 7-1 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 6-2 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 6-2 |
| 14 | LSU | 6-2 |
| 15 | Texas Tech | 7-1 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 7-1 |
| 17 | Houston | 6-2 |
| 18 | Missouri | 6-2 |
| 19 | Iowa | 6-2 |
| 20 | Southern California | 7-2 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 5-3 |
| 22 | Arizona | 6-2 |
| 23 | Oregon | 5-3 |
| 24 | Florida | 5-3 |
| 25 | Boise State | 7-1 |
CFP SELECTION COMMITTEE RANKINGS AT A GLANCE
- This is the 73rd edition of the CFP selection committee rankings. The first-ever CFP ranking was released Oct. 28, 2014. Alabama and Ohio State are the only programs to appear in all 73 CFP selection committee rankings.
- Miami is No. 1 for the first time in program history. The Hurricanes are the 11th program ever to be ranked No. 1, and the first team from the ACC since Clemson in 2017.
- Teams ranked first in the initial CFP selection committee rankings include the following:
- 2014 Mississippi State (7-0)
- 2015 Clemson (8-0)
- 2016 Alabama (8-0)
- 2017 Georgia (8-0)
- 2018 Alabama (8-0)
- 2019 Ohio State (8-0)
- 2020 Alabama (7-0)
- 2021 Georgia (8-0)
- 2022 Tennessee (8-0)
- 2023 Ohio State (8-0)
- 2024 Oregon (9-0)
- 2025 Ohio State (8-0)
- 2026 Miami (8-0)
- Five teams who were ranked first in the initial CFP selection committee rankings held the top spot in every ranking through Selection Day:
- 2015 Clemson
- 2016 Alabama
- 2018 Alabama
- 2020 Alabama
- 2024 Oregon
- The two teams who were initially ranked first by CFP selection committee and went on to capture the CFP National Championship include:
- 2020 Alabama (7-0)
- 2021 Georgia (8-0)
- A total of 11 of the 12 CFP National Champions opened ranked in the top 4. The lone exception, 2014 Ohio State, started at No. 16, the lowest initial ranking for a national champion in the CFP era.
- At No. 3, Utah has earned its highest CFP ranking in program history (previous best: No. 5).
- Kentucky enters Week 10 ranked No. 6, the highest-ever CFP ranking for the Wildcats (previous best: No. 9).
- Houston comes in at No. 17, marking its highest CFP ranking in program history (previous best: No. 18).
HOW THE CFP SELECTION COMMITTEE EVALUATES TEAMS:
A team's full profile, not any single metric
A team's full profile, not any single metric
The CFP Selection Committee evaluates teams on a comprehensive body of work, not by any single metric. Rankings are determined by comparing the full profile of teams.
The selection committee utilizes three sources to measure a team's performance: video, data (via a customized portal) and conference input.
When teams look comparable, members apply the following four principles:
- Strength of schedule: who a team played, not just whether it won.
- Head-to-head results: if two teams met, that result carries additional consideration.
- Results against common opponents: how each fared against shared opponents, without rewarding running up the score.
- Other relevant factors: such as injuries to key players or unavailability of a coach that affected a team's season or will affect its postseason.
The CFP Selection Committee will next meet November 9-10. Its next set of rankings will be revealed on Tuesday, November 10 at approximately 9 p.m. ET live on ESPN and the ESPN app.
-CFP-
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the competition that crowns the true national champion in college football. The format of the CFP is built on a 12-team bracket. The 12 participating schools are the conference champions from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference and the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 Conference or Sun Belt Conference, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams. The University of Notre Dame will be included in the playoff if it is ranked among the top 12 teams in the final CFP rankings. Four CFP First-Round games are played on host campuses, followed by the CFP Quarterfinals and CFP Semifinals, which rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The CFP National Championship will be on Monday, January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. For additional information on the CFP, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.
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