After falling one play short of winning last season’s College Football Playoff, The U is back atop the first rankings of 2026.
Getting past a trip to No. 11 Notre Dame this week would position No. 1 Miami nicely to head into the CFP tournament as the top seed — at least in theory. The Hurricanes barely escaping Atlantic Coast Conference matchups with Florida State and North Carolina in recent weeks serves as a reminder that anything can shake up the playoff picture.
What the committee got right:
–Quality and quantity earned consistent credit in the initial ranking … for the most part. While there were some head-scratching contradictions, the placement of two-loss Texas ahead of undefeated UCLA, for example, rewarded a gauntlet of a schedule. The Longhorns’ wins over Ohio State, Tennessee and Ole Miss, all in position to jockey for a CFP bid, deservedly outweighed a loss to rival Oklahoma and a setback to now-No. 24 Florida.
–Most instances of head-to-head wins translating to an advantage was a welcome sight. Despite losing to UCF, BYU should have been and was slotted ahead of Notre Dame. For its struggles, Oregon’s placement ahead of Boise State is justifiable — and, ironically, serves Boise State well in its pursuit of a return to the tournament after a one-year absence.
Should the Broncos run the table in the remainder of their Pac-12 schedule, Oregon remaining in the mix ensures Boise State’s only blemish came against a Top 25 opponent. What’s more, it’s a game the Broncos could have, and maybe should have, won.
What the committee got wrong:
–Indiana’s placement at No. 4 contradicts the committee’s demerits against teams like UCLA and Notre Dame for facing softer schedules.
The Hoosiers’ nonconference schedule should be treated as an albatross for playoff purposes, not indirectly rewarded. What’s more, Indiana barely escaping in overtime wins against Michigan and Minnesota hardly signal that this season’s Hoosiers deserve a bounce due to last year.
–No. 5 Alabama and No. 14 LSU were each placed shockingly high when contrasted with the committee’s placement of other teams.
The Crimson Tide earned credit for thumping both South Carolina and Kentucky, and Alabama took No. 2 Georgia to the brink. However, the Tide sitting eight spots ahead of a Tennessee team that effectively routed them is a stunning gap.
Just behind the Vols is LSU, which lacks a signature win anywhere in the same area code as Tennessee’s defeat of Alabama. The Tigers do get the opportunity to rectify that with Alabama visiting Death Valley on Saturday.
In the meantime, however, LSU has yet to produce any win as meaningful as numerous teams behind it including No. 15 Texas Tech (Houston and Arizona), No. 20 Southern California (Ohio State) or No. 21 South Carolina (Tennessee).
–Kyle Kensing, Field Level Media
