2026 College Football Playoff Rankings: Miami No. 1, Notre Dame Outside Top 10

The first set of College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday, and Miami is sitting at the top of the mountain. The Hurricanes open at No. 1 in the first CFP rankings of the 2026 season, with Georgia checking in at No. 2 as the Bulldogs look to make another run at a national championship. The committee’s initial rankings offer the first glimpse at which teams are in position to compete for a playoff spot and which ones have some ground to make up. Here is a look at the first set of CFP rankings, from 25-to-1: 25. Boise State (7-1)24. Florida (5-3)23. Oregon (5-3)22. Arizona (6-2)21. South Carolina (5-3)20. USC (7-2)19. Iowa (6-2)18. Missouri (6-2)17. Houston (6-2)16. Wake Forest (7-1)15. Texas Tech (7-1)14. LSU (6-2)13. Tennessee (6-2)12. Ohio State (6-2)11. Notre Dame (7-1)10. Ole Miss (6-2)9. BYU (7-1)8. UCLA (8-0)7. Texas (6-2)6. Kentucky (7-1)5. Alabama (6-2)4. Indiana (8-1)3. Utah (8-0)2. Georgia (7-1)1. Miami (Fla.) (8-0) The committee also unveiled its first projected 12-team playoff bracket, giving us an early glimpse at the potential matchups and path to a national title. Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana would earn first-round byes, while Boise State would be the lone Group of Six representative in the field, earning the No. 12 seed and a first-round matchup against No. 5 Alabama. Here is what the first CFP bracket projection of the season looks like: In this 12-team CFP projection, the SEC would have five teams in the field, the Big Ten and Big 12 would have two teams each, the ACC would have one team, while Boise State would be the lone G6 representative, and Notre Dame would make it as an independent. There were several glaring differences when it came to this initial set of CFP rankings and the latest AP Top 25 Poll. Among the most notable were Notre Dame being ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll, but all the way down at No. 11 in the CFP rankings. While the Fighting Irish took a dip in the CFP rankings, Alabama got a major boost, appearing at No. 5 after being slotted at No. 9 in the AP Poll. UCLA, the Big Ten’s only remaining undefeated team, was ranked eighth in the CFP rankings, while coming in at No. 5 in the AP Poll. Other notable differences included Indiana at No. 4 (No. 6 in AP) and Texas at No. 7 (No. 10 in AP). Ohio State was ranked No. 12 (No. 11 in the AP Poll), but the Buckeyes would be left out of the field, with Boise State claiming the Group of Six automatic bid.