Nov. 11 (UPI) — Georgia took over as the top team in the second edition of the 2026 College Football Playoff rankings, the selection committee announced.
Selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said the Bulldogs (8-1) climbed from No. 2 to the top ranking because of their “dominant” 42-7 victory over Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford, Miss. The loss dropped the Rebels (6-3) from No. 10 to 19.
“The game that they had this past weekend at Ole Miss was just a dominating performance,” Yurachek told reporters. “They looked very much like the Georgia team we have seen play every game this year, with the exception of the Auburn game. The committee is very high on Georgia.
“They’ve got great analytics. But I think more than that, just watching that team and how they function defensively, what Gunner Stockton means to that team offensively. That’s just a really complete team that the committee is very high on.”
The Bulldogs moved to the top spot for the 16th week, the second-highest total in rankings history behind Alabama (24).
Miami, who previously held the top spot, tumbled to No. 7 due to their 31-24 loss to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish (8-1) climbed from No. 11 to 5 thanks to that victory over the Hurricanes (8-1).
They are the first team in rankings history to jump from outside the Top 10 and into the Top 5 in a single week.
“Notre Dame made one of the biggest moves of the week,” Yurachek said. “We said last week that they had an opportunity to get a marquee win, and they did, beating the No. 1 team in the country in Miami.”
The Utah Utes (9-0), one of two undefeated teams in the Top 25, climbed from No. 3 to a program-record No. 2 thanks to the Hurricanes loss and a 28-20 win over the BYU Cougars (7-2). The Cougars fell from No. 9 to 10.
The Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2) jumped from No. 5 to 3 due to their win over LSU (6-3). The Tigers fell from No. 14 to 21. The UCLA Bruins (9-0) used a 34-20 win over Minnesota (5-4) to remain undefeated and jump from No. 8 to a program-best No. 4.
The No. 6 Texas Longhorns (7-2), No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (7-2) and No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers (8-1) also are inside the Top 10. The Longhorns moved up one spot due to a 34-20 win over Missouri (6-3), who moved from No. 18 to 22.
The Volunteers throttled Kentucky 34-6 to climb up five spots in the rankings. The loss dropped the Wildcats (7-2) from No. 6 to 11. The Hoosiers, who were inactive in Week 10, fell five spots in the rankings.
No. 12 Texas Tech (8-1), No. 13 Wake Forest (8-1), No. 14 Houston (7-2) and No. 15 Iowa (7-2) round out the Top 15. The Cougars’ No. 14 ranking is their best in program history.
The Oregon Ducks (6-3) made the biggest move in the rankings, climbing seven spots. They used a 41-28 victory over Ohio State (6-3) to jump from No. 23 to 16. The loss dropped the Buckeyes from No. 12 to 20, their lowest ranking in history.
The South Carolina Gamecocks (6-3) climbed from No. 21 to 17 thanks to their 17-9 win over Texas A&M (4-5). The USC Trojans (7-2), who were inactive, climbed from No. 20 to 18.
The No. 23 Arizona Wildcats (7-2), No. 24 Boise State Broncos (8-1) and No. 25 Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-3) round out the Top 25 in the second edition of the 2026 rankings. The Cowboys, who beat Kansas State (4-5) by 38 points, are the only new team in the Top 25.
They also entered the rankings for the first time since 2023. The Florida Gators (5-4), who were No. 24 last week, dropped out due to a 23-7 loss to Oklahoma (5-4).
The third edition of the rankings will be announced at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday on ESPN. The fourth- and fifth-editions will be released Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, respectively. Selection Sunday is set for Dec. 6.
Several matchups between Top 25 teams will kick off in Week 11. The No. 1 Bulldogs will host No. 22 Missouri. The No. 9 Hoosiers will battle the No. 18 Trojans.
The No. 21 Tigers will host the No. 6 Longhorns. The No. 23 Wildcats will host the No. 2 Utes. They No. 25 Cowboys will host the No. 12 Red Raiders.
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