Georgia Claims No. 1 in Latest CFP Rankings, Notre Dame Rises to No. 5

Georgia has ascended to the No. 1 position in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s latest rankings, released Tuesday, while undefeated UCLA climbed four spots to No. 4.

Following Notre Dame’s 31-24 victory over previously top-ranked Miami this past weekend, the top 10 looks markedly different in the updated standings. The Bulldogs (8-1) moved up one spot to claim the top ranking as expected. Undefeated Utah sits at No. 2, and Alabama (7-2) advanced two positions to No. 3.

Notre Dame (8-1) jumped six places from No. 11 to No. 5, signaling that the Fighting Irish are firmly positioned to secure a spot in the 12-team CFP field if they finish strong against Boston College, SMU and Syracuse. The Irish are assured a playoff berth with a final top-12 ranking.

“They looked like the Notre Dame team that belongs at No. 5. They led 24-3 and dominated that game,” CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek said during ESPN’s rankings release broadcast. “You also see teams ahead of Notre Dame that lost, which created an opening for them to move up.”

Texas (7-2) now holds No. 6, while Miami (8-1) fell six spots to No. 7 after its loss, leaving the ACC’s top team behind multiple two-loss SEC squads. Tennessee (7-2) rose five spots to No. 8, Indiana (8-1) dropped five to No. 9 despite a bye week, and BYU (7-2), which fell 28-20 to Utah on Saturday, slipped just one spot to No. 10.

November #CFP Top 25 https://t.co/20Ptc8fecD

— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 11, 2026

Kentucky (7-2), which fell 34-6 to Tennessee, checks in at No. 11, with Texas Tech (8-1) at No. 12 to complete the top 12.

Since five conference champions receive automatic bids in the 12-team format, No. 24 Boise State, representing the Group of 6, would take Texas Tech’s place as the 12th seed.

If these rankings determined the 12-team bracket, Georgia, Utah, Alabama and UCLA would earn first-round byes as the top four seeds.

The projected first-round matchups would be Boise State at Notre Dame, Kentucky at Texas, BYU at Miami and Indiana at Tennessee.

Wake Forest (8-1), the ACC’s No. 2 team, remains outside the top 12 after climbing three spots to No. 13. Houston is ranked No. 14, followed by Iowa, Oregon (up seven spots), South Carolina, USC, Ole Miss and No. 20 Ohio State (6-3). The Buckeyes suffered a serious setback to their playoff hopes after a 41-28 loss to Oregon this past weekend, dropping eight spots from No. 12.

LSU, Missouri, Arizona, Boise State and Oklahoma State complete the top 25.

Nine SEC teams appear in the top 25, down from a record 10 last week; Florida exited after losing to Oklahoma. The Big 12 and Big Ten each have six ranked teams, while the ACC has just two. Despite its first loss of the season, Miami remains well positioned to reach the CFP field.

Miami is favored to win its final three games against Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College and would also be favored in the ACC championship game. The committee once again recognized Alabama, citing its 31-13 road victory at LSU.

“They’re No. 1 in record strength and No. 1 in schedule strength. They have what we consider four quality wins, including that victory over Mississippi State earlier in the year when Kamario Taylor was on the roster and they were 4-0,” Yurachek said of Alabama. “Alabama won on the road. We believe Alabama deserves to be the No. 3 team in the country.”

Notre Dame also gained ground after its win over Miami addressed concerns about its strength of schedule. That victory was enough to move the Irish from outside the top 10 into the top five.

The CFP selection committee will release its final rankings on Dec. 6.

The four first-round games will be hosted by the higher-seeded teams on Dec. 18 and 19. The quarterfinals will be held at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1.

The semifinals will take place at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 14 and 15.

The CFP National Championship is set for Jan. 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Source link