COLUMBUS — The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first rankings of the 2026 season Tuesday night, placing undefeated Miami at No. 1 and Ohio State at No. 12 following the Buckeyes' second loss of the season.
Miami (8-0) leads the rankings, followed by Georgia (7-1), Utah (8-0), and Indiana (8-1). Alabama (6-2) rounds out the top five, despite having two losses, while undefeated UCLA enters at No. 8.
For Ohio State, the initial rankings reflect the difficult position the Buckeyes face after Saturday's 30-18 loss at USC. The defeat dropped Ryan Day's team to 6-2, with losses to Indiana and USC complicating its pursuit of another College Football Playoff appearance. Of course, it should be noted that no Big Ten team with two losses is in the top ten while the SEC has three such teams, despite the fact it's been nearly half a decade since the SEC has won a national championship as the Big Ten has won the last three.
Ohio State is ranked one spot lower than its No. 11 position in the AP poll. Although the Buckeyes are 12th in the committee's rankings, they would currently fall outside a projected 12-team playoff field because of the automatic bid reserved for the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six conferences.
The Buckeyes will have opportunities to improve their position, beginning Saturday when No. 23 Oregon visits Ohio Stadium. Ohio State also has games remaining against Northwestern, Nebraska, and Michigan, giving Day's team little room for additional mistakes.
Notre Dame enters at No. 11, seven spots below its position in the AP poll. The SEC placed five teams among the top 10, compared with two each from the Big Ten and Big 12.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, was left out of the initial Top 25. The Bearcats are 5-3 following Saturday's loss to Utah and face No. 17 Houston this weekend.
The rankings will change plenty before it's all said and done, so no one should be too worked up over anything here. Except, of course, for the fact that there continues to be an SEC bias despite the fact that the SEC has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Big Ten for awhile now. The committee will release updated rankings each Tuesday through December 1, with the final 12-team playoff field announced Sunday, December 6.
Initial College Football Playoff Top 25 — November 3, 2026
| Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 8-0 |
| 2 | Georgia | 7-1 |
| 3 | Utah | 8-0 |
| 4 | Indiana | 8-1 |
| 5 | Alabama | 6-2 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 7-1 |
| 7 | Texas | 6-2 |
| 8 | UCLA | 8-0 |
| 9 | BYU | 7-1 |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 6-2 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 7-1 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 6-2 |
| 13 | Tennessee | 6-2 |
| 14 | LSU | 6-2 |
| 15 | Texas Tech | 7-1 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 7-1 |
| 17 | Houston | 6-2 |
| 18 | Missouri | 6-2 |
| 19 | Iowa | 6-2 |
| 20 | USC | 7-2 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 5-3 |
| 22 | Arizona | 6-2 |
| 23 | Oregon | 5-3 |
| 24 | Florida | 5-3 |
| 25 | Boise State | 7-1 |
