Week 10 shook up the College Football Playoff picture in a big way, and the second rankings reveal of 2026 is set to reflect it.
Georgia looks poised to jump to No. 1 after No. 10 Ole Miss got hammered by the Bulldogs, while Miami’s road loss at Notre Dame already sent the top spot into flux. Kentucky’s run in the top 10 also appears shaky after a blowout loss at Tennessee, and Ohio State and LSU both hurt their playoff cases with home defeats.
The other result that could matter most is Utah’s. The Utes survived the “Holy War” against BYU, stayed unbeaten, and took a major step toward locking up a playoff berth.
The Sporting News is tracking the live unveiling of the second College Football Playoff rankings of the season, with the updated 12-team bracket to follow once the poll is revealed.
The 2026 CFP field remains a 12-team setup, but the seeding process has changed. Automatic bids now go to the four Power Four conference champions - ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC - plus the highest-ranked team from the other FBS conferences.
That is different from previous seasons, when the five highest-ranked conference champions got in no matter what conference they came from. Notre Dame can also earn an automatic bid if it finishes in the top 12.
The other seven spots are at-large selections, filled by the best remaining teams in the rankings. The top four teams overall, whether they are conference champions or not, receive the first-round byes. The other eight teams open the playoff in the first round.
Based on Tuesday’s rankings, the bracket would line up this way:
First round
No. 12 at No.
5
No. 11 at No.
6
No. 10 at No.
7
No. 9 at No.
8
Quarterfinals
No. 1 vs.
No. 8/9
No. 2 vs. No.
7/10
No. 3 vs.
No. 6/11
No. 4 vs. No.
5/12
The playoff calendar runs from the first-round games on Dec. 18-19 through the national championship on Jan. 25.
The quarterfinals are split between the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30 and the Cotton, Rose and Peach Bowls on Jan. 1.
The semifinals are set for the Orange Bowl on Jan. 14 and the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 15.
The Sporting News’ Week 11 projection, according to Bill Bender, has Georgia at No. 1, followed by Utah, UCLA and Notre Dame in the top four. Miami sits at No. 5 in that projection, with Alabama, Indiana, Texas, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Wake Forest and Boise State rounding out the projected field.
CFP rankings shows will continue every Tuesday until the final weekend of the season, when the bracket will be unveiled on Sunday, Dec. 6.
In Other News...
Marcus Freeman's CFP Reaction Will Spark A Big Notre Dame Debate
Marcus Freeman wasted little time weighing in on the College Football Playoffs move to 24 teams starting in 2027, and his reaction was pretty easy to read from a Notre Dame perspective. Speaking after the official announcement, the Irish coach said the expanded format would benefit Notre Dame, a program that has long lived with the pressure of making its case for a postseason spot without the safety net of a conference championship game.
Freeman also made clear that the new setup wont feel like a win for everyone, but for Notre Dame it opens more doors and more chances to get in. That is exactly why his comments are likely to stir debate around the program, because the Irish have spent years navigating the tension between independence and access, and this change only sharpens the question of how the playoff should reward teams like Notre Dame. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Added Another Big Ten Test To Its Future Schedule
Notre Dame has filled another spot on its future calendar with a matchup that should carry plenty of weight when it arrives. The Irish have lined up a two-game home-and-home series with Washington for the 2031 and 2034 seasons, a swap that comes after a previously planned series with Florida was canceled. The first meeting will be in South Bend, with Notre Dame Stadium hosting the opener before the return game shifts to Seattle three years later.
For Notre Dame, the addition keeps the schedule lined up with the kind of high-profile nonconference tests the program has long valued. Washington brings real pedigree into the series as a current Big Ten member with a football history that includes multiple conference and national championships, which gives the matchup a little extra heft beyond the usual future scheduling announcement. The only question now is how much both programs will have changed by the time the first kickoff finally arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Has The Edge But Boston College Brings A Real Trap
Notre Dame enters this matchup with the cleaner recruiting profile and the more obvious edge in several position groups, which is why the Irish are being viewed as the more complete team on paper. The numbers behind the roster construction point in their favor, and the matchup breakdowns suggest Notre Dame should have answers if it plays to its strengths.
Boston College, though, has enough veteran experience and transfer portal help to make this feel less comfortable than the rankings might suggest. It has the look of a classic trap game, the kind that can echo a past meeting from 1993, where the favored team still has to handle a physical, older opponent that knows how to make things awkward if the favorite is even a little off. [Read more 🡒]