Our first glimpse at the 2026-27 College Football Playoff picture shows a landscape ripe for shifting in the month to come.
No team is safe where it's situated, even Miami at the top of this first set of committee rankings. The team plays No. 11 Notre Dame at South Bend on Saturday, so we could be having a very different conversation this time next week.
It's not a shock to see Georgia so high, nor it is a shock to see the committee overcompensate to give Alabama a much better ranking that it deserves with two losses. That's just how that cookie crumbles.
However, this first set of rankings (which you can see here) gives us plenty to chew on. Here's our takeaways.
Miami really, really needs to win on Saturday
The Hurricanes could lose at Notre Dame on Saturday, yes. The team then has... Duke,
Virginia Tech and Boston College at home. If Miami can hold on Saturday on the road, the chances of an undefeated regular season skyrocket. Sure, one of those visiting teams could play spoiler, but Saturday feels like a Canes playoff game.
Alabama shouldn't be No. 5
Okay, let's just get the obvious out of the way. The committee is wrong to have Alabama so high up on the list. The Crimson Tide have two losses, including one to a Tennessee team ranked much lower (No. 13). The committee is clearly trying to project more than award off previous merit, which is silly. Alabama should be No. 10 (where Ole Miss is).
Don't sleep on UCLA
The No. 8 Bruins could run the table. The team's next four games (at Minnesota, vs. Illinois, at Michigan, vs. UCS) is a gauntlet compared to other teams, but we believe in what Bob Chesney is doing at UCLA. If the team at least goes 3-1 in that stretch going into conference championship weekend, they've could very well make the 12-team field.
Oregon shouldn't be ranked
Why is Oregon on this list? The team is 5-3 and has majorly underwhelmed this season. We love Dan Lanning and what he's done in Eugene. We think the team will bounce back. Another team (USC? Illinois?) should be where the Ducks are right now.
Boise State should be higher
A 7-1 Broncos team shouldn't be under three-loss teams in the 20s. That's just unserious.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: College Football Playoff takeaways from first 2026 ranking (Alabama...)
