First College Football Playoff Rankings Released: Miami Leads, Ohio State Left Out

The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first Top 25 rankings of the 2026 season after two months of play. Miami holds the No. 1 spot with an unblemished 8-0 record as the projected ACC champion. Georgia follows at No. 2 with a 7-1 record, while undefeated Utah sits at No. 3 representing the Big 12.

Indiana occupies the No. 4 seed with an 8-1 record and leads the Big Ten. Alabama is fifth at 6-2, Kentucky is sixth at 7-1, and Texas holds seventh at 6-2. UCLA is eighth at 8-0, BYU is ninth at 7-1, and Ole Miss is tenth at 6-2.

“Because Boise State put together a stellar 7-1 record and clinched the No. 25 spot, they grabbed that fifth champion slot by default.”

Notre Dame, ranked fourth in the latest AP Poll, dropped to 11th in the CFP rankings with a 7-1 record. Boise State, at 7-1, claimed the No. 25 spot and the fifth automatic conference-champion slot under the new 12-team format.

Ohio State, at 6-2, does not appear in the Top 25 and is effectively bumped to the No. 13 position on the selection sheet. The Buckeyes’ omission has become the biggest talking point and left their fanbase furious online.

For seeds five through 12, opening-round games will be played on the higher seed’s home campus. If the games started tonight, No. 25 Boise State would travel to No. 5 Alabama, No. 11 Notre Dame would visit No. 6 Kentucky, No. 10 Ole Miss would face No. 7 Texas, and No. 9 BYU would square off against No. 8 UCLA.

The committee cited Notre Dame’s lack of a signature win as a reason for its low placement, which also hurt BYU’s resume despite its victory over the Fighting Irish. BYU’s road loss to UCF and Indiana’s close-game survival were also factors in the committee’s decisions.