CFP Rankings: Georgia Takes No. 1, Two-Loss Alabama Cracks Top 4
Georgia jumped Miami for No. 1, Utah and UCLA stayed unbeaten in the top four, and Alabama became the earliest two-loss team ever ranked that high.
The second CFP rankings of the season are out, and Georgia is back on top. The College Football Playoff selection committee moved the Bulldogs (8-1) to No. 1 on Tuesday night, three days after their 42-7 win at Ole Miss, while Miami slid from No. 1 to No. 7 after a 31-24 loss at Notre Dame.
The rest of the top four looks nothing like a typical November. Unbeaten Utah is No. 2, two-loss Alabama is No. 3 and unbeaten UCLA is No. 4, according to the committee’s official release.
November 🔟 #CFP Top 25 🏆 pic.twitter.com/20Ptc8fecD
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 11, 2026
CFP rankings top 25 for Nov. 10
The rankings count games played through Saturday, Nov. 7. The last column shows where each team sat a week ago.
| Rank | Team | Record | Last week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 8-1 | 2 |
| 2 | Utah | 9-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Alabama | 7-2 | 5 |
| 4 | UCLA | 9-0 | 8 |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 8-1 | 11 |
| 6 | Texas | 7-2 | 7 |
| 7 | Miami | 8-1 | 1 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 7-2 | 13 |
| 9 | Indiana | 8-1 | 4 |
| 10 | BYU | 7-2 | 9 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 7-2 | 6 |
| 12 | Texas Tech | 8-1 | 15 |
| 13 | Wake Forest | 8-1 | 16 |
| 14 | Houston | 7-2 | 17 |
| 15 | Iowa | 7-2 | 19 |
| 16 | Oregon | 6-3 | 23 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 6-3 | 21 |
| 18 | USC | 7-2 | 20 |
| 19 | Ole Miss | 6-3 | 10 |
| 20 | Ohio State | 6-3 | 12 |
| 21 | LSU | 6-3 | 14 |
| 22 | Missouri | 6-3 | 18 |
| 23 | Arizona | 7-2 | 22 |
| 24 | Boise State | 8-1 | 25 |
| 25 | Oklahoma State | 6-3 | NR |
Florida, No. 24 a week ago, fell out. Oklahoma State is ranked by the committee for the first time since 2023. The SEC has nine teams in the top 25, more than any other league.
Alabama makes history with two losses
Alabama’s jump from No. 5 to No. 3 is the move that will get argued about all week. The Crimson Tide are 7-2, and the CFP says no two-loss team had ever reached the top four this early. The old mark belonged to Auburn, which got there on Nov. 28, 2017.
The case for Bama is the schedule. The Tide beat LSU 31-13 on Saturday, and CBS Sports notes they sit near the top of the country in strength of record, strength of schedule and game control. What’s left looks friendly: Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and Auburn.
UCLA is the other side of that debate. The Bruins are 9-0 and No. 1 in strength of record, but their schedule ranks only 67th, per CBS. Still, No. 4 is the highest ranking UCLA has ever had in the CFP era. Utah can say the same about No. 2. Those two are the only unbeaten FBS teams left.
Notre Dame’s big jump, Miami’s big fall
Notre Dame went from No. 11 to No. 5, the first time any team has climbed from outside the top 10 into the top five in one week. The 31-24 win over Miami gave the Irish what the committee had been waiting for. Committee chair Hunter Yurachek said Notre Dame “had yet to have the signature win” before Saturday.
Miami paid for it with a six-spot drop. The Hurricanes are still 8-1, and their four ranked wins lead the ACC, but they now sit behind two-loss Texas. If the season ended today, they would still host a first-round game.
Elsewhere, Ohio State fell eight spots to No. 20 after a 41-28 loss at Oregon, which rose seven spots to No. 16. Tennessee climbed to No. 8 after beating Kentucky 34-6, and the Wildcats dropped to No. 11.
What the 12-team bracket would look like today
Based on these rankings, ESPN’s projected bracket gives first-round byes to Georgia, Utah, Alabama and UCLA. Boise State, the highest-ranked Group of Six team at No. 24, grabs the No. 12 seed.
Here's what the #CFP bracket would like if the season ended today 👀🏆 pic.twitter.com/5Gekzx3WdU
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 11, 2026
First-round games would be played on campus:
- No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Tennessee (winner plays Georgia)
- No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Notre Dame (winner plays UCLA)
- No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Texas (winner plays Alabama)
- No. 10 BYU at No. 7 Miami (winner plays Utah)
The team with the biggest gripe is Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are 8-1 and ranked No. 12, yet Boise State’s spot as the top Group of Six team pushes them out of the projected field. Wake Forest (8-1) and Houston (7-2) are right behind them.
This is also the last season of the 12-team field. The playoff grows to 24 teams starting with the 2027-28 season, per NCAA.com. Here is how the 24-team College Football Playoff will work, including what this week’s bracket would look like under it.
Week 11 games that can shake up the CFP rankings
Several of this week’s games will test teams in the top 10. All times are Eastern.
- Friday: Illinois at No. 4 UCLA, 9 p.m., Fox, at the Rose Bowl.
- Saturday, 12:45 p.m.: No. 3 Alabama at Vanderbilt.
- Saturday, 3 p.m.: No. 8 Tennessee at Texas A&M.
- Saturday, 3:30 p.m.: No. 22 Missouri at No. 1 Georgia, No. 18 USC at No. 9 Indiana and Michigan at No. 16 Oregon.
- Also Saturday: No. 6 Texas at No. 21 LSU, No. 2 Utah at No. 23 Arizona and No. 13 Wake Forest at SMU.
USC-Indiana is the one to circle. Indiana opened as a seven-point favorite at DraftKings, according to SportsBettingDime, and a USC win would knock the Hoosiers toward the bubble. In Baton Rouge, LSU opened as a 4.5-point favorite over Texas, so the Longhorns’ spot at No. 6 is far from safe.
For more on the sport, see our college football news page.
The committee meets again Nov. 16-17 and reveals its third CFP rankings on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at about 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The final rankings, which set the 12-team bracket, come out on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Sources: CFP, ESPN, CBS Sports, NCAA.com, FBSchedules, SportsBettingDime
