Miami is the first team off the board in the College Football Playoff committee’s initial rankings for 2026, landing at No. 1 when the top 25 were unveiled Tuesday.
The committee will keep updating the rankings every Tuesday through the end of the regular season, with the final set due Sunday, Dec. 6. That last release will lock in the 12-team field.
For now, the bracket picture starts with Miami as the No. 1 seed, followed by Georgia at No. 2, Utah at No. 3 and Indiana at No. 4, giving all four teams first-round byes.
The opening-round matchup currently listed is No. 9 BYU at No. 8 UCLA in a campus-site game, with the winner set to face Miami.
Here’s the full top 25 from the committee’s first rankings of the season:
- Miami Hurricanes (8-0)
- Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
- Utah Utes (8-0)
- Indiana Hoosiers (8-1)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)
- Kentucky Wildcats (7-1)
- Texas Longhorns (6-2)
- UCLA Bruins (8-0)
- BYU Cougars (7-1)
- Ole Miss Rebels (6-2)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2)
- Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
- LSU Tigers (6-2)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-1)
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-1)
- Houston Cougars (6-2)
- Missouri Tigers (6-2)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)
- USC Trojans (7-2)
- South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3)
- Arizona Wildcats (6-2)
- Oregon Ducks (5-3)
- Florida Gators (5-3)
- Boise State Broncos (7-1)
In Other News...
Lincoln Rileys Postgame Reaction Added Another Twist For Ohio State Fans
USCs upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State was already one of the most striking results of the weekend, but Lincoln Rileys postgame press conference added another layer to the conversation. After the win, the Trojans coach read a handwritten statement addressing the noise around his job security and making clear where he stands with the program, turning a big on-field victory into a broader moment about pressure, perception and the scrutiny that follows a high-profile coach.
For Ohio State fans, the reaction around Rileys remarks became part of the story almost as quickly as the upset itself. The timing of the prepared statement, delivered after USC had just taken down a heavyweight opponent, prompted plenty of discussion across sports media and left the impression that the nights biggest twist might not have come on the field at all. [Read more 🡒]
USC Fans Have A New Reason To Watch Oregon Closely
The first College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings gave USC fans an unexpected reason to keep an eye on Oregon, with the Ducks landing at No. 23 despite already having three losses. For a Trojans fan base that knows how much the Big Ten race can shape the bigger picture, Oregons place in the poll is a reminder that the conference still has plenty of moving parts, and that the Ducks are not fully out of the conversation yet.
Rece Davis pointed out that Oregon still has a slim but possible route to the Big Ten Championship and a playoff berth, but it would take a clean finish and help elsewhere. For USC, that means Oregons remaining schedule now carries added weight, because every Ducks result could ripple into the standings and the postseason picture the Trojans are watching so closely. [Read more 🡒]
USC Freshman Mark Bowman Is Making A Playoff Push More Complicated
Mark Bowman has already become one of the more intriguing pieces of USCs offense, even if his season has come with a few unusual twists. The freshman tight end has dealt with foot issues that have occasionally left him playing without shoes, yet he has still managed to give the Trojans a real presence in the passing game with 24 catches for 283 yards despite missing three games.
His emergence matters even more now that USC is sitting at No. 20 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, with ranked matchups against Indiana and UCLA still ahead. The Trojans are trying to strengthen their postseason case while also managing the kind of health questions that can complicate a late-season push, and Bowman is right in the middle of that picture. Elsewhere on the roster, running back King Miller picked up a Burlsworth Trophy nomination, a reminder that USCs depth chart still has a few feel-good stories tucked inside the bigger playoff chase. [Read more 🡒]