Georgia will take over as No. 1 in the second College Football Playoff rankings and Utah will ascend to No. 2, while a pair of two-loss SEC teams could climb into the top four.
Georgia will replace Miami, which lost to Notre Dame. The expectation is that the selection committee will honor that result and put the Hurricanes behind the Fighting Irish. For the Irish, that would require a big leap
from last week’s No. 11 ranking.Utah is a clear No. 2 after scoring a rivalry win against Brigham Young. From there, Alabama has a case to rise two spots to No. 3 after beating LSU, and Texas could sneak ahead of Indiana after winning at Missouri.
Don’t look for Ohio State near the
top of this week’s rankings. The Buckeyes will remain in the Top 25 but will land somewhere around No. 20 after an ugly loss at home to Oregon.
Here’s our projection for the top 12 of the new playoff rankings:
1. Georgia (8-1)
The national consensus is that Georgia is the best team in college football. Look for the selection committee to keep things simple and promote the Bulldogs one spot into Miami’s place.
2. Utah (9-0)
There will be a conversation about ranking Utah ahead of Georgia after the Holy War win. In the Utes’ favor are an unbeaten record, an explosive offense and wins against BYU and Houston. That still won’t be enough to sway the committee.
3. Alabama (7-2)
Winning at LSU is yet another feather in the cap for Alabama, which already had the committee’s attention after being ranked a surprising No. 5 a week ago. The Crimson Tide face Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and Auburn to end November.
4. Notre Dame (8-1)
The Irish saved their season and can see the finish line with Boston College, SMU and Syracuse to close out November.
5. Miami (8-1)
This would be a huge drop for a team that was a no-doubt No. 1 last Tuesday. One reason why Miami might stay inside the top five or six is that the committee hasn’t been too wedded to head-to-head results. If willing to look at the bigger picture instead of only Saturday night’s loss, the committee could keep the Hurricanes in front of the Irish.
6. Indiana (8-1)
Indiana will drop at least one spot from last week and maybe more, though the committee rarely docks teams that were idle, as the Hoosiers were on Saturday. Importantly, Ohio State’s loss to Oregon gives IU a clearer path to the Big Ten title game.
7. Texas (7-2)
The overall résumé is unmatched. Texas now owns four wins against teams expected to be in this week’s playoff rankings: Ohio State, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri. (The Tigers should stick in the Top 25 despite drawing a third loss.)
8. UCLA (9-0)
UCLA gave the committee something to think about with a 34-20 win at Minnesota. Specifically, that result might end up being compared to Indiana’s win at home against the Golden Gophers, which required a 60-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.
9. Tennessee (7-2)
Tennessee has to be ahead of Kentucky after Saturday’s dominant 34-6 win. That same math doesn’t seem to apply to the comparison to Alabama despite the Volunteers’ 26-10 win in October. Still, this team is surging to the finish line and getting closer to locking down an at-large berth.
10. Kentucky (7-2)
Don’t look for Kentucky to fall too far, especially after Missouri and LSU picked up their third losses. At the same, that LSU is out of the playoff picture isn’t great for the Wildcats, who topped the Tigers in overtime last month.
11. Texas Tech (8-1)
The Red Raiders do have two very good wins against ranked teams in Houston and Arizona. There’s not much more than that for Texas Tech, unfortunately, though having just one loss is enough to warrant a bump from the debut rankings.
12. Wake Forest (8-1)
Not that beating Merrimack 77-0 will do much to sway the committee. But the Demon Deacons have been on a roll in their past five games and are looking the part of a team that can challenge Miami for the ACC crown. Another option here is BYU after a competitive loss in Salt Lake City.
Top-ranked Group of Six team: Boise State
No. 25 last week, Boise State could get up to No. 23 or No. 22 after a blowout win against Colorado State. There is no other Group of Six team in the mix for a spot in the new Top 25.
When do next CFP rankings come out?
- Date: Tuesday, Nov. 10
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
The next CFP rankings of the 2026 season will come out starting at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
When do CFP rankings come out? College Football Playoff 2026 release schedule
Here's a look at the full CFP rankings release schedule for the 2026 season:
- Tuesday, Nov. 10: 9-9:30 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: 9-9:30 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: 7:30-8 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Dec. 1: 7-7:30 p.m. ET
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Noon-3 p.m. ET
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CFP rankings prediction: Georgia is No. 1, but look who crashes the top four
