Former ESPN analyst David Pollack is leaning hard into Utah as the safest bet in the 12-team College Football Playoff picture.
With the selection committee set to unveil its second rankings of the 2026 season on Tuesday night, Pollack laid out his confidence-based field on the See Ball Get Ball podcast and put the Utes at the top of the list. He said he has “very high confidence Utah’s getting in.”
Utah’s case got even stronger Saturday with a 28-20 win over No. 9 BYU, pushing the Utes to 9-0.
Devon Dampier was at the center of it all, accounting for four touchdowns, while Utah’s defense came up with four interceptions against Bear Bachmeier. The Utes opened at No. 3 in the first CFP rankings, which was the highest ranking in program history.
“Do I think they’re as talented as some other teams in the country? Absolutely not,” Pollack said.
“I think Dampier’s playing at a really good level. Defense playing well.
Obviously, the big win over BYU.”
Pollack’s top five also includes Georgia, UCLA, Alabama and Miami. Georgia sits second on his confidence list even though he put the Bulldogs first if the season ended today.
That lines up with Urban Meyer, who called Georgia the best team in college football. The Bulldogs are 8-1 after rolling past Ole Miss 42-7, but Pollack pointed to the remaining schedule - South Carolina and Missouri - as the reason he didn’t lock them in at No.
“Could lose a game, could maybe lose two games. Don’t think so. Don’t think so at all,” Pollack said.
UCLA comes in at No. 3 on Pollack’s board after moving to 9-0 for the first time since 1998 with a 34-20 win at Minnesota. “UCLA, OK, give them a loss. Still in,” Pollack said.
Alabama is next after a 31-13 win at LSU, and Pollack sounded convinced the Crimson Tide will keep cruising. “They’re not going to lose again. Alabama’s not going to lose another game,” he said.
Miami rounds out Pollack’s top five even after the Hurricanes slipped to 8-1 with a 31-24 loss at Notre Dame. He still sees them as a team that can survive almost anything on the schedule. “They don’t have to bring their A-game, and they’re going to beat almost everybody on their schedule,” he said.
Notre Dame lands sixth after CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in that win over Miami. Pollack likes the Irish’s path, especially with no conference championship game in front of them.
“No conference championship game,” Pollack said. “Feel very confident Notre Dame is going to the College Football Playoff.”
Indiana checks in at No. 7 after a bye week. Pollack said the Hoosiers would be higher if he thought their offense had more juice. “Indiana would be a lot higher on this list if I thought they were more explosive on offense at all,” Pollack said.
Texas sits eighth in his confidence rankings after a 34-20 win at Missouri, its third straight victory. Pollack believes the Longhorns have room for another stumble and still stay in the mix.
“I think Texas can lose another game and still make the playoff,” Pollack said. “I think their wins will stack up against anybody in the country.”
Tennessee follows at No. 9 after beating Kentucky 34-6, with Pollack pointing to the earlier Alabama win as a major plus. “That Alabama win’s going to go a long way,” Pollack said.
Boise State is 10th after a 64-38 win at Colorado State, a game in which backup quarterback Max Cutforth accounted for five touchdowns. Pollack praised the Broncos’ ability to keep finding answers. “Really well-coached, really explosive, find ways to win,” Pollack said.
Iowa is the biggest surprise in Pollack’s projected field at No. 11.
The Hawkeyes are 7-2, opened at No. 19 in the first rankings and still don’t have a win over a currently ranked team. Even so, Pollack likes what’s ahead of them.
“Let’s talk about Iowa and what they’ve got left: Purdue, at Illinois and then Nebraska,” he said. “I think Iowa’s got a chance, bros.”
Wake Forest rounds out the list at No. 12.
The Demon Deacons are 8-1, with their only loss coming against Miami, and they head into a matchup with SMU this week. Pollack sees them hanging around the edge of the bracket.
“I think they can beat SMU. I think they could lose to SMU, too,” he said.
“But I think they’re going to be flirting right there at that edge of it.”
Pollack left out Texas Tech, which is 8-1 after a 53-48 win over West Virginia, and he also passed on BYU after the loss at Utah dropped the Cougars to 7-2.
The committee’s second rankings will be revealed Tuesday at approximately 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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