The first simulated BCS rankings of the 2026 college football season landed Monday, and the old formula wasted little time putting Georgia and Notre Dame in a class of their own.
BCSKnowHow’s projection has Georgia at No. 1 with a .9858 score, just ahead of Notre Dame at .9425. That gap helps tell the story of the opening week: there’s a clean break at the top, then a cluster of contenders trying to keep pace.
Georgia’s rise makes sense after its road win over Alabama, a result that pushed the Bulldogs to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 as well. It was Georgia’s first win in that venue since 2007, and it also knocked Texas off the top spot after the Longhorns fell to Oklahoma, 27-24, in the Red River Rivalry. The Bulldogs picked up 66 of 70 first-place votes in the AP poll and moved to 6-0, with the BCS score reflecting both strong human support and the computer portion of the formula that once blended polls with multiple systems.
Notre Dame has stayed right there, powered by a 58-7 win over Stanford. The Irish are also 6-0 and sit No. 2 in the AP poll.
Behind the top two, the rankings start to bunch up. Miami, Indiana, and Ohio State make up the next tier, with the Hurricanes at 5-0, the Hoosiers at 6-0, and the Buckeyes at 5-1. Indiana’s tight win at Nebraska kept its unbeaten start alive and helped the Hoosiers keep climbing.
Alabama and Texas come next at Nos. 6 and 7, even with both teams taking losses. That’s the BCS doing what the BCS used to do best: rewarding résumé strength and earlier body of work, not just the last result.
BYU, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Utah, and UCLA fill out the top 12. UCLA’s upset of Oregon sent the Bruins up nine spots to No. 12 in the AP poll, and the computers liked them too.
After that, the numbers drop fast. Missouri is next at .4668, with Iowa, Tennessee, and the rest of the field trailing farther behind.
It’s all a throwback, of course. The College Football Playoff now uses a 12-team selection committee, not the old poll-plus-computer setup. But this simulated snapshot still says plenty about the current landscape: Georgia and Notre Dame are separating themselves, and everybody else is chasing.
In Other News...
Cincinnati's MJ Collins Twist Could Reshape The Bearcats' 2026-27 Plans
The eligibility picture around Cincinnati guard MJ Collins took another sharp turn this week, adding another layer of uncertainty to the Bearcats long-range planning. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued an executive order aimed at student-athletes from the Class of 2022 at Ohio colleges and universities, directing schools to allow them to participate in intercollegiate athletics during the 2026-27 academic year even if NCAA eligibility rules say otherwise.
For Cincinnati, the practical impact could be significant because Collins has already been part of a fluctuating eligibility situation, and the Bearcats now have one more layer to sort through as they look ahead. The order gives Ohio schools a clear instruction, but whether it will ultimately hold up in practice is still unsettled, leaving Cincinnati with reason to watch the issue closely as the broader 2026-27 picture comes into view. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Head To West Virginia With Plenty To Prove
The Bearcats were back on the practice field this week as they turned their attention to a Saturday rivalry trip to West Virginia, a noon ET kickoff that will air on TNT. Head coach Scott Satterfield and quarterback JC French IV both addressed the teams response to its latest setback and the need to reset quickly with another league test looming.
Cincinnati is trying to move past a lopsided loss at Arizona and carry a sharper edge into Morgantown, where the rivalry adds another layer to an already important Big 12 matchup. Frenchs steadiness has been one of the teams bright spots through the season, and the Bearcats know they will need that composure, along with a cleaner overall performance, if they want to leave West Virginia with something to show for the week. [Read more 🡒]