Miami No. 1 in First College Football Playoff Rankings of 2026, Ahead of Georgia and Utah

Miami is No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season, released by the selection committee on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The Hurricanes are 8-0 and sit ahead of No. 2 Georgia at 7-1, No. 3 Utah at 8-0 and No. 4 Indiana at 8-1.

The rankings are the first of six this season. The committee will publish new rankings each week, with the next set due on November 10, 2026, and the final playoff field will be announced on Sunday, December 6, 2026.

The top 12

Behind the top four, the rest of the top 12 is No. 5 Alabama (6-2), No. 6 Kentucky (7-1), No. 7 Texas (6-2), No. 8 UCLA (8-0), No. 9 BYU (7-1), No. 10 Ole Miss (6-2), No. 11 Notre Dame (7-1) and No. 12 Ohio State (6-2).

If the playoff started on these rankings, Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana would be the top four seeds and would receive first-round byes.

The bracket line

The projected bracket does not follow the rankings in order at the bottom. No. 25 Boise State (7-1) is the highest-ranked Group of Six team and is projected as the No. 12 seed in the bracket. That leaves No. 12 Ohio State and No. 13 Tennessee (6-2) as the first two teams out in the projected bracket. Notre Dame, at No. 11, is the last team in the projected bracket.

Conference strength in the top 25

The SEC has the most teams in the top 25 with 10. The Big Ten is next with six teams in the top 25, and the Big 12 has five.

Miami's next test is at Notre Dame

Miami is one of three undefeated teams remaining in the FBS. Utah and UCLA, the other two, are also 8-0 and sit in the top eight of these rankings. Miami survived an overtime game against Florida State and a close game at North Carolina to stay unbeaten.

The Hurricanes play at No. 11 Notre Dame on Saturday. USA Today described that game as a possible playoff eliminator for Notre Dame, which enters the weekend as the last team in the projected bracket.

Head-to-head results the committee weighed

Defending national champion Indiana is ranked No. 4, eight spots ahead of Ohio State. Ohio State beat Indiana last month, but Ohio State has since lost quarterback Julian Sayin.

Alabama is No. 5, eight spots ahead of Tennessee. Tennessee beat Alabama by 16 points a few weeks earlier. Notre Dame is ranked No. 11, seven spots lower than its position in the AP Top 25.

What happens next

The committee releases its next rankings on November 10, 2026, after the weekend games that include Miami's trip to Notre Dame. Five more rankings follow before the final field is announced on December 6, 2026, so the order at the top can still change. For now, Miami holds the No. 1 spot, Georgia, Utah and Indiana hold the other bye positions, and Ohio State and Tennessee sit on the wrong side of the bracket line.