Georgia Claims the CFP’s No. 1 Spot as Notre Dame Vaults to No. 5 and Indiana Slides

Georgia moved to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s second rankings of the 2026 season, released Tuesday night, after previously No. 1 Miami lost to Notre Dame, 31-24, over the weekend. The Bulldogs (8-1) rose one spot from No. 2. It is Georgia’s 16th week at No. 1 in the CFP era, second only to Alabama’s 24 weeks, the CFP said in its official release, which covers games through Saturday, Nov. 7.

Undefeated Utah (9-0) is No. 2, the highest CFP ranking in program history, the CFP said. Alabama (7-2) rose two spots to No. 3, the earliest a two-loss team has stood in the top four, the CFP said. Undefeated UCLA (9-0) jumped four spots to No. 4, also a program high. Utah and UCLA are the only remaining undefeated Football Bowl Subdivision teams, matching the fewest in a second CFP ranking, first set in 2014, the CFP said.

Notre Dame (8-1) climbed six spots from No. 11 to No. 5 after its victory over Miami. The CFP said the Irish are the first team in CFP history to jump from outside the top 10 into the top five in a single week. Committee chair Hunter Yurachek, speaking on ESPN’s rankings show, said: “They looked like the Notre Dame team that should be ranked No. 5. They were up 24-3 and dominating that game.” ESPN reported that Notre Dame is guaranteed a playoff berth if it finishes in the top 12 of the final rankings.

Miami (8-1) fell six spots to No. 7. Indiana (8-1) dropped five spots from No. 4 to No. 9 despite not playing last weekend. Yurachek told ESPN that Indiana was “a victim of having a bye week at the wrong time,” as several teams near the Hoosiers in the rankings earned quality wins and moved ahead, Yahoo Sports reported.

Texas (7-2) is No. 6. Tennessee (7-2) jumped five spots to No. 8 after a 34-6 win over Kentucky, ESPN reported. Oregon rose seven spots to No. 16 after a 41-28 win over Ohio State, which dropped eight spots to No. 20.

If the season ended now, Georgia, Utah, Alabama and UCLA would receive first-round byes, ESPN reported, with projected first-round games of Boise State at Notre Dame, Kentucky at Texas, BYU at Miami, and Indiana at Tennessee. The committee’s next rankings are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 17, at about 9 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN, the CFP said. The national championship is set for Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.