Miami’s hold on the AP top spot is already feeling shaky, even with the Hurricanes sitting No. 1 right now.
The 2026 college football season has been churning out more turnover near the top than usual, with four different teams already spending time at No. 1. That matches the most since 2010, and it feeds into the bigger theme emerging so far: there’s more balance across the sport than fans are used to seeing.
With the calendar nearing the end of October, the College Football Playoff picture is coming into focus, and the current projection has Miami leading the charge but not necessarily locked into the top seed. The Hurricanes’ historic offense has them on pace to run the table, and they’re expected to beat Notre Dame in two weeks, but the selection committee may still favor the SEC champion if it decides that team has done more overall.
Georgia is still the projected SEC champion, with the Bulldogs viewed as the most complete team in the field. The source of that confidence is simple: the committee could dismiss the Auburn loss and lean harder on Georgia’s win over Alabama.
In the ACC, Miami remains the projected champion. In the Big Ten, Indiana is the pick to take the league, even if its offense is not what it was a year ago. The Hoosiers could have a path back to Indianapolis, especially with Ohio State suddenly dealing with a quarterback injury issue.
Ohio State still lands in the bracket as the Big Ten runner-up. Julian Sayin’s absence could drag down the Buckeyes’ offense, even with Jeremiah Smith and despite the problems in the running game, but there’s still enough talent there to stay in the mix for a first-round bye.
The Big 12 projection goes to Utah, where the combination of Devon Dampier and Wayshawn Parker has the Utes rolling while they remain undefeated.
Beyond the conference winners, the at-large field is packed with teams trying to stay afloat as the losses start to matter more.
UCLA is still unbeaten and, in this projection, should get through the Big Ten with no worse than one loss. The Bruins also look capable of beating USC, which would open the door for a conference-title push.
Kentucky has surged to first place in the SEC race after beating Vanderbilt and is now 7-1. But the Wildcats still have a brutal stretch ahead with Tennessee, Missouri and Florida still on the schedule, so nothing is secure yet.
Texas is back in control of its playoff path after beating Ole Miss. The Longhorns are leaning on a defensive front that ranks No. 1 in FBS in total efficiency, and they still have ranked matchups left against Missouri and LSU. Much of their fate may come down to whether they get more Good Arch than Bad.
Houston is the projected Big 12 runner-up. Even with one loss already, the Cougars would still belong in the bracket with another defeat, likely coming against Utah on Nov. 7 or in Arlington. If they win both of those games, they would be top-four material for certain.
Auburn stays in the at-large mix after its strong win over Auburn. The Tigers still have three ranked opponents left, and the Alabama game could end up serving as a playoff play-in.
Notre Dame is still sitting comfortably in the top five in the AP poll despite the loss to BYU. Even so, another stumble - especially against Miami - could threaten its standing in the top 12 by the end of the season.
The projected Group of Six spot still belongs to Boise State after James Madison’s loss reaffirmed the Broncos as the favorite from the non-Power leagues. But there’s another major test ahead against Oregon State, and that game could still reshape the race for the 12th spot.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Quietly Added An Offensive Voice As LSU Feud Escalates
As LSU's offseason and early-season storylines kept spinning, Lane Kiffin revealed that the Tigers quietly added Nate Carroll as an offensive analyst before the season, a move that had not been publicly disclosed at the time. Carroll, who brings NFL coaching experience and comes from the Pete Carroll coaching tree, has been helping LSU's offensive staff during games, giving the program an extra experienced voice behind the scenes.
The timing adds another layer to a situation already marked by legal friction between LSU and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey over the schools recruiting practices and Kiffins comments. With the public focus elsewhere, the quiet addition of Carroll underscores how much of college football now unfolds away from the spotlight, even as the larger LSU-Sankey dispute continues to simmer. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Got A New Reason To Worry About Alabamas Passing Game
Alabamas passing game has been dealing with a hit since the injury to Ryan Coleman-Williams in the Georgia game, and LSU now has another name to plan for ahead of Nov. 7. Kalen DeBoer said the wide receiver is expected back for that matchup, a development that matters because Coleman-Williams had already been part of the offense before the injury sidelined him for recent games.
For LSU, the timing is hardly ideal. Alabama has had to adjust without one of its receiving options, but DeBoers comments point to a possible boost when the Tigers arrive, with Coleman-Williams expected to be available and, in the coachs view, ready to matter right away. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Holds Firm As AP Poll Chaos Shakes Contenders
Week 8 turned the AP Top 25 into a weekly stress test, and the ripple effects were felt well beyond the top line. With nearly a third of the top ten taking losses, the rankings shifted in a way that opened the door for movement all over the board, including a boost in first-place support for Miami after No. 2 BYU went down. Teams such as Texas and Utah were among the biggest movers, while the fallout also pushed some familiar names, including Iowa and USC, into the vote-getting crowd without a place in the poll itself.
For LSU, the bigger takeaway is the kind of volatility that can reshape the path ahead in a hurry. Poll weeks like this tend to reward teams that keep stacking clean Saturdays and punish anyone living on the edge of the rankings, and the churn around the top 25 only sharpens the pressure on contenders trying to stay in the conversation. It also leaves the picture unsettled enough that every ranking checkpoint now feels like a referendum on who can hold up when the standings start to wobble. [Read more 🡒]