Georgia is back on top of the College Football Playoff Rankings, and the second release of the season brought a fresh shakeup behind the Bulldogs.
The committee moved Georgia to No. 1 on Tuesday night after last week’s top team, Miami (FL), dropped following its loss to Notre Dame in one of the most anticipated games of the 2026 season. Georgia helped make the change easy to justify with a dominant road win over Ole Miss in Oxford, and the Bulldogs now sit in position to control their own path the rest of the way.
At 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC, Georgia looks well on its way to the 12-team bracket unless something goes sideways over the final three weeks. Missouri, South Carolina and Georgia Tech are still on the schedule, and an SEC Championship Game appearance could still be in play. If Kirby Smart’s team keeps playing at the level it has shown in 2026, another CFP trip is right there.
Utah slid into the No. 2 spot after Georgia’s rise, giving the unbeaten Utes a major boost in Morgan Scalley’s first season at the helm following Kyle Whittingham’s departure. Utah is 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12, and it just survived its biggest test yet by beating archrival BYU in the Holy War. The next challenge comes quickly, with a road trip to Arizona up next.
Alabama climbed to No. 3 after its win over LSU, while UCLA jumped into the top four as one of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the FBS. Notre Dame, fresh off its statement win over Miami, moved up to No. 5.
The full top five on Nov. 10: Georgia, Utah, Alabama, UCLA and Notre Dame.
The rest of the top 12 features Texas at No. 6, Miami at No.
7, Tennessee at No. 8, Indiana at No.
9, BYU at No. 10, Kentucky at No. 11 and Texas Tech at No.
With the 12-team format awarding automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions, Boise State would be the Group of Six representative if the field were set today. The Broncos came in at No. 24.
One of the biggest shifts came with Notre Dame, which leaped from No. 11 to No. 5 after finally landing the kind of win the committee had been waiting for. The Fighting Irish handled Miami and, in the eyes of the selection group, checked the box they had been missing.
“We talked last week that Notre Dame had a lot of respect from the committee, a dominant team, but had yet to have the signature win, and they looked like the Notre Dame team that should be ranked No. 5. They were up 24-3 (on Miami),” CFP chair Hunter Yurachek said.
Indiana took the harshest hit among the top teams, falling five spots to No. 9 despite not playing over the weekend. The committee re-ranks from scratch each week, and that reset did the Hoosiers no favors ahead of their matchup with USC.
Georgia’s move to the top was backed by the numbers as well as the result. After the win at Ole Miss, the Bulldogs sit No. 1 in game control and No. 2 in strength of record. Since the upset loss to Auburn on Oct. 17, they’ve looked every bit like a team rounding into form at the right time.
Alabama also strengthened its case with a 31-13 win at LSU. The Crimson Tide are near the top of the FBS in strength of record, strength of schedule and game control, and with Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and Auburn still ahead, the committee appears comfortable slotting them third.
Texas checked in at No. 6 and remains one of the most complete profiles in the field. The Longhorns are top-15 in every measurable metric and now own a nation-leading four ranked wins after beating Missouri on the road.
With wins over Ohio State in nonconference play and Tennessee in conference play, plus three straight victories since back-to-back losses in October, Texas has some room to breathe even if it slips again. A trip to LSU is next.
UCLA’s rise from No. 8 to No. 4 was one of the clearest signs that the committee is buying the Bruins’ resume. Their strength of record ranks first, and their game control sits ninth, though a strength of schedule at No. 67 stands out as a weak spot.
Winning out would send UCLA to the Big Ten Championship, but not necessarily guarantee a top-four seed. Illinois comes to town Friday night, and Michigan and USC remain after that.
Among the three-loss teams, Oregon leads the way after its win at Ohio State. That result pushed the Ducks ahead of the Buckeyes, who tumbled eight spots to No.
- Oregon now has three ranked wins, tied for second-most in the country behind Texas’ four.
South Carolina also moved up after holding off Texas A&M for its fourth straight win, rising to No. 17. The Gamecocks were one of the steadier movers in the back half of the rankings.
The ACC picture remains murky, but Wake Forest is the league’s highest-ranked team outside the top tier at No. 13.
The Demon Deacons face SMU on Saturday, and they are the only team ranked this week with just one win over an opponent above .500. Texas, by comparison, has a nation-leading six such wins.
Miami has four, which is the most in the ACC and more than Wake Forest, SMU and Duke combined.
In Other News...
Josh Heupels DaSaahn Brame Update Gives Vols Fans Some Relief
DaSaahn Brames exit against Kentucky briefly added another uneasy moment to Tennessees night, especially after the tight end went down following the controversial incomplete-pass ruling in the end zone. Anytime a player leaves with a head injury, the immediate concern is bigger than the result on the field, and for the Volunteers it was another reminder of how quickly a game can turn.
Josh Heupel eased some of that worry after the game, saying Brame is doing well and is expected to be in good condition for the upcoming matchup with Texas A&M. Tennessee still has to get through the first availability report, which comes Wednesday night, but for now the update gives Vols fans a little relief heading into a game week that already has plenty of attention on it. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Playoff Standing Suddenly Looks Less Comfortable Than It Seems
Tennessees spot in the latest College Football Playoff conversation looks secure on paper, but the broader SEC picture is starting to feel crowded. In ESPNs latest round of predictions, 11 of the networks 12 writers projected four SEC teams into the 2026 bracket, with Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas showing up most often as the leagues presumed heavyweights.
For the Volunteers, the takeaway is less about being in the mix and more about how little margin there may be if the conference keeps stacking contenders around them. Kentucky, despite sitting No. 6 in the initial CFP rankings, did not appear in any of the new projections, a reminder that early positioning can shift quickly once the selection debate starts to narrow. The full set of ESPN picks only reinforces how tightly the race is being judged at the top. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Defense Just Sent Texas A&M A Brutal Message
Tennessees defense kept rolling in a 34-6 win over Kentucky, and Arion Carter was at the center of it with 13 tackles, four for loss and two sacks. The Volunteers smothered the Wildcats from start to finish, forcing three turnovers and shutting down fourth-down chances as the game tilted decisively in Tennessees favor.
That kind of performance lands with extra force this week because Texas A&M is next on the schedule, and the Aggies are already in a precarious spot after a loss to South Carolina. They need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible, and now they have to do it against a Tennessee defense that just spent an afternoon sending a very clear message. [Read more 🡒]