A widely circulated projection of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s first top-12 ranking — to be released Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN — places the Miami Hurricanes at No. 1.
Miami is 8-0. The Hurricanes have won four ACC road games. Their schedule ranked No. 60 entering Saturday’s games. Their toughest remaining regular-season opponent is Notre Dame on Nov. 7.
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Georgia is 7-1. The Bulldogs beat Alabama and Florida on the road. They lost at home to Auburn on Oct. 17. Georgia outscored Tennessee State, Western Kentucky and Arkansas 178–40. Against Auburn and Alabama combined, Georgia committed four turnovers and 11 penalties.
BYU is 7-1. The Cougars defeated Notre Dame 28–24 on Oct. 17 and beat Arizona 28–17 on Sept. 12. BYU lost at UCF in double overtime. Their toughest remaining regular-season opponent is Utah on Nov. 7.
Notre Dame is 7-1. The Fighting Irish hold two neutral-site wins, including one against Wisconsin, and road wins at Purdue and North Carolina. They lost 28–24 to BYU on Oct. 17. After trailing Navy early on Saturday, Notre Dame scored 21 unanswered points. Wisconsin lost 30–0 to Iowa that day.
Utah is 8-0. The Utes defeated Cincinnati 49–25 after leading 42–6 at halftime. Their only ranked opponent this season is Houston. Utah ranks in the top 10 in total efficiency per ESPN Analytics. Their toughest remaining regular-season opponent is BYU on Nov. 7.
Indiana is 8-1. The Hoosiers’ only loss was 19–15 at home to Ohio State on Oct. 17, with Ohio State starting quarterback Julian Sayin playing most of the game. Indiana’s defense allows 12.4 points per game. Its offense averages 32.4 points per game. Quarterback Josh Hoover was benched at halftime against Minnesota after throwing his second interception of the season. Backup Grant Wilson entered trailing 10–7.
This story was updated on Nov. 3, 2026, to correct Utah’s final score against Cincinnati and the description of BYU’s win over Arizona. The committee released its first ranking on Nov. 3, with Miami at No. 1: Miami Leads First College Football Playoff Rankings of 2026.
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