The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2026 wasted no time handing fans plenty to argue about.
That’s the whole point of this first reveal, of course. The committee gives everyone a first look at where teams stand, and the reaction is usually a mix of nods, groans and outright outrage.
Some of the choices make sense. Others are already setting off alarms.
And with several weeks still left before Selection Sunday, there’s plenty of room for the board to change.
Still, the initial rankings are out there now, and a few of them are impossible to ignore.
Start with Missouri, which landed as the lowest-ranked two-loss SEC team. That’s a tough spot for the Tigers, and it’s the kind of placement that feels harsher than it should. Missouri hasn’t built an overwhelming Playoff case, sure, but being pushed behind multiple other two-loss SEC teams is a rough read on a program that has put together another respectable season and is still in position to finish strong.
The schedule ahead gives Missouri a chance to flip that perception. The Tigers still have No.
7 Texas, No. 2 Georgia and No.
6 Kentucky left on the slate, so there’s still plenty of time to make the committee rethink things. But for now, the message feels pretty clear: Missouri has very little margin for error.
Notre Dame’s spot at No. 11 is another number that jumps off the page. A 7-1 record usually puts a team in a stronger position than that, and there’s a real argument that the Fighting Irish should be inside the top 10. Instead, they’re sitting right on the edge of the projected Playoff field.
That doesn’t mean the committee has buried Notre Dame. It does, however, suggest some hesitation about the résumé.
The Irish have been good, but the ranking shows the committee isn’t fully sold yet. Even so, No. 11 feels low for a team with that record and that kind of profile.
The timing matters, too. Notre Dame gets Miami this weekend, and that game could reshape everything.
A win would give the Irish the kind of signature victory that can send them soaring in the next rankings. So while the placement is frustrating, it’s not a dead end.
Then there’s Alabama at No. 5, which might be the most eye-catching decision of the bunch. Seeing the Tide in the top five with two losses is the kind of thing that makes people do a double take. It also raises the bigger question of how much the committee is rewarding what a team looks capable of doing versus what it has already done.
There’s a case for Alabama. The Crimson Tide have the talent to beat anybody, and life in the SEC doesn’t exactly come with easy weeks. Two losses in that league don’t automatically erase a team’s Playoff potential.
But the comparison is hard to miss. Tennessee, also with two losses, is down at No.
- Missouri is being treated very differently.
That kind of split is exactly why the committee’s standards are already drawing heat.
Alabama still has a chance to back up the ranking, beginning with LSU this weekend. For now, though, the Tide have been handed a level of trust that other two-loss teams clearly haven’t received. And that’s going to be one of the biggest talking points from the first rankings.
In Other News...
Alabama Dismissal Takes Another Turn After DBs Cryptic Response
Alabamas secondary took another hit when third-year defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. was dismissed from the football program following his arrest on misdemeanor charges related to harassing a police officer. Kalen DeBoer said Kirkpatrick did not meet the teams standards and expectations, a blunt end to a situation that had already put the player on thin ice after an earlier arrest led to a suspension in 2025.
The latest turn came after Kirkpatrick was suspended again following the October 2026 incident, leaving Alabama to move on without a veteran defensive back who had already been through the programs disciplinary process once before. For a defense that has had to manage more than its share of off-field distractions, the dismissal closes one chapter but also underscores how quickly the Tide had to reset around a situation that kept escalating. [Read more 🡒]
Philip Rivers Could Leave Alabama For A Job That Changes Two Programs
Philip Rivers has settled into a coaching life in Alabama, where he is leading St. Michael Catholic High School and coaching his son, Gunner Rivers, a committed NC State quarterback. But the former NFL quarterback and longtime NC State standout has now surfaced as a leading candidate to take over the Wolfpack program after Dave Doeren was fired, a development that instantly links his current Alabama stop with the school where he built his own college legacy.
The possibility carries obvious weight for both programs, especially with Rivers already having shown respect for NC State and having previously interviewed for an NFL head coaching job. For Alabama fans following his next move, the intrigue is less about whether Rivers has the name recognition and more about how a return to Raleigh would reshape his coaching path and the future around his son. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Defense Is Betting On One Edge Against LSU
Alabamas pass rush has been a work in progress, but the defense has still found a way to tilt games by making quarterbacks uncomfortable and forcing mistakes. The numbers tell the story: the Tide are near the bottom of the SEC in tackles-for-loss and sacks, with no one beyond Fatutoa Henrys 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks, yet Kane Wommack has kept stressing that disruption matters most when it turns into turnovers.
That approach is what Alabama will lean on against LSU and quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has already thrown eight interceptions in six games. The Tide lead the SEC in interceptions, tied with Kentucky, and Wommacks hope is that pressure, even when it does not show up in the box score as a sack, can still create the kind of takeaway opportunity Alabama has been banking on. [Read more 🡒]