2026 College Football Rankings: BYU Falls After Another Wild Week Of Upsets

Following another upset-filled Saturday in college football, Joel Klatt has another new No. 1 team in the country. Miami takes over the top spot after routing Pitt 52-23 behind four touchdown passes from Darian Mensah. BYU tumbles from No. 1 to No. 10 after a double-overtime loss at UCF. Ohio State stays at No. 2 during its bye week, and Indiana climbs to No. 3 after an overtime win at Michigan. Utah and Texas return to the top 10 as Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas Tech all fall out. Kentucky makes its first appearance in Klatt’s top 10 this season. Eight weeks in, only three teams are still undefeated, and Klatt has all of them in his top 10. Here’s how he ranked the country’s 10 best teams now, on the latest episode of “The Joel Klatt Show”. Odds to win national title: +5400 Odds to make CFP: +134 Klatt’s thoughts: “BYU goes down … I put them all the way down to No. 10. They were No. 1 last week. That’s kind of where they were sitting before they beat Notre Dame, so I put them back at the bottom of my top 10. “Last week I told you it was a transformational win when BYU beat the Fighting Irish, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe [the Big 12] is a multiple-bid league now. Is it two? Is it three?’ But Tech goes down, BYU goes down, and I think we’re back into this mode. It’s probably a one-bid league.” Odds to win national title: +9400 Odds to make CFP: +200 Klatt’s thoughts: “Kentucky is in there at No. 9. They beat Vanderbilt 34-17. They’re now 7-1 on the season. Just avoid the upset and move along. Nothing to see here, and I credit that. I credit that. I think for too long we just kind of moved away from, ‘Well, they should win that game,’ and we’re all like, ‘Nah, that doesn’t mean anything. That team is nothing and nobody.’ “I’ll give Alabama credit where it’s due. They ended up getting the win over Texas A&M. It may not have been the way that I wanted it to happen, but you can say the same thing about Indiana that I talked about earlier. They found a way to win the game in front of them, and that should be credited. That should be credited for all of these teams, and you certainly can say that about Kentucky. They found a way to win the game in front of them. It’s 34-17, and in an era of parity, let’s credit where credit is due.” Odds to win national title: +1500 Odds to make CFP: -130 Klatt’s thoughts: “I’m high on them after this win, and it’s not just because they beat Ole Miss. It’s because you saw the 207 on the ground. You saw the ceiling, and it’s too enticing for me not to put them in the top 10. I know they lost two straight games, and I get it. The 14 penalties scare me, and they were a completion or two away from getting their hearts absolutely ripped out by Trinidad Chambliss. But they didn’t. They win the game, and so Texas is going to be inside my top 10 at No. 8. If this is a run-first team like Indiana in 2025, watch out for Texas.” Odds to win national title: +4800 Odds to make CFP: -170 Klatt’s thoughts: “Utah stays undefeated. They came back from a 10-0 deficit in the second half to win 21-13, and now they’re the only undefeated team in the Big 12. “So what does all this mean? Well, I think it means Utah is still really good. I still think BYU is very good. I just don’t think BYU is going to get the benefit of the doubt. So where does Utah fall in my top 10? They go up to seven. Utah is going to be at seven. I think they’re going to be a tough out. “I don’t know how they would match up with some of these other teams around the country. I know BYU is still at 10, but that’s going to play itself out. The Holy War is coming up [on Nov. 7]. Those two teams will play, which is going to knock one of them out of the top 10, at least in my estimation. Maybe it won’t for Utah. I don’t know what happens that week.” Odds to win national title: +7400 Odds to make CFP: -150 Klatt’s thoughts: “At six, it’s going to be UCLA. Comfortable 28-10 win over Michigan State: 245 rush yards on 48 carries, over five per rush. What else do they do? They play defense. They’re allowing under nine points per game over their last four. This is one of the better defenses in the Big Ten, one of the better defenses in college football. “They got a bit of a scare in this game. Ty Dieffenbach, their backup – now starting quarterback – went down, and it’s like, ‘Oh my goodness, are they going to be on their third-stringer?’ That was right at the end of the first half, but he stayed in the game. I like him a lot. I like their run game even more. I’m a big fan of Bob Chesney, and they’re out there just winning football games. That’s not what everybody can say in the country.” Odds to win national title: +450 Odds to make CFP: -1200 Klatt’s thoughts: “Georgia is No. 5, despite the loss to Auburn. I still think this is one of the more complete teams in the country, and it’s certainly a coaching staff and a roster that I feel like I can trust. So from that standpoint, I put Georgia at five.” Odds to win national title: +475 Odds to make CFP: -800 Klatt’s thoughts: “Notre Dame’s going to be four, obviously, off of the loss to BYU. I know they have one loss now. BYU has one loss, and I see you in the comments already, BYU fans. I see you. I get it. But CJ Carr is still elite. I still believe in that defense, and let’s face it, they should have had another snap and a second left on the clock.” Odds to win national title: +750 Odds to make CFP: -1500 Klatt’s thoughts: “Three is Indiana. You already see that. I’ll give ‘Bama credit where it’s due. They ended up getting the win over Texas A&M. It may not have been the way that I wanted it to happen, but you can say the same thing about Indiana. “They found a way to win the game in front of them, and that should be credited. That should be credited for all of these teams.” Odds to win national title: +530 Odds to make CFP: -750 Klatt’s thoughts: “Number two is going to be Ohio State. I know that Ohio State was two last week, and I did not move them up to number one because I just can’t until I see what they are on offense with a brand-new quarterback “What are they going to be? I know they can play great defense. I do not know if they can run the football that consistently, and I don’t know who’s going to be at quarterback and who’s throwing to Jeremiah Smith. So for that reason I couldn’t put them at number one, and I had to go with Miami.” Odds to win national title: +580 Odds to make CFP: -3500 Klatt’s thoughts: “They destroyed Pitt 52-23. Darian Mensah threw for almost 400 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Malachi Toney went crazy: 16 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a good football team, and I think they’re going to be there in the end. They certainly don’t have the toughest schedule of anybody. “I can’t wait to see them play Notre Dame. If Notre Dame were to lose that game with already one loss on the docket, who knows? We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”