The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first Top 25 rankings of the 2026 season on Tuesday, kicking off five weeks of debate before Selection Sunday. Last year's rankings taught a clear lesson: never take a team's position at face value until the final reveal. In 2025, Miami trailed Notre Dame for five weeks despite a head-to-head win, only to jump the Irish on Selection Sunday and claim the final at-large playoff spot. The committee's proprietary metrics, not available to the public, drove that late shift.
SEC's lobbying pays off
The SEC's two-year push for new metrics appears to have succeeded. The strength-of-conference rating lifted all six two-loss SEC teams above their positions in both the AP and coaches polls. Two-loss Alabama (No. 5) and Texas (No. 7) sit ahead of undefeated UCLA (No. 8), and the SEC boasts the highest-ranked two- and three-loss teams with Alabama and South Carolina (No. 21). If a 24-team playoff started today, nine of the 16 spots would go to SEC programs. The committee had described the new data point as an enhancement, but Tuesday's rankings show it acting as the primary differentiator for SEC teams.
Notre Dame slighted again
Notre Dame debuted at No. 11, a full seven spots lower than the AP poll — the largest gap in the initial CFP rankings. Chairman Hunter Yurachek cited the lack of a "signature win" after the loss to BYU, compounded by BYU's subsequent loss to UCF. The Irish have only one remaining game against a top-25 opponent: No. 1 Miami this Saturday. A win would likely vault them into the top five, but the margin for error is zero. The committee has a history of sliding winning teams down in subsequent rankings, as it did with Notre Dame last season.
Alabama's questionable ranking
Alabama sits at No. 5 despite a 2-2 record against CFP Top 25 teams. The Tide's best win is a road victory at Kentucky, and Yurachek highlighted the win at Mississippi State — though the Bulldogs were without quarterback Kamario Taylor and went winless in October. Six teams ranked below Alabama own better records against the CFP Top 25. Kentucky, with one loss, was expected to rank higher than two-loss Alabama, but the committee does not weigh head-to-head results as heavily as assumed.
Ohio State left out
Ohio State appears at No. 12, the first team out of the playoff field, despite defeating reigning national champion Indiana (now No. 4) on the road without starting quarterback Julian Sayin. The Buckeyes own the nation's ninth-best strength of record and 18th-best schedule. Only two Big Ten teams are in the current CFP field compared to five from the SEC. Yurachek admitted the committee never compared Indiana and Ohio State head-to-head, a statement unlikely to sit well in Columbus.
UCLA vs. Utah discrepancy
Undefeated UCLA ranks eighth while undefeated Utah sits third, a five-spot gap that contradicts strength-of-schedule metrics: UCLA's schedule ranks 77th, Utah's 83rd. The Bruins have achieved their record while playing their backup quarterback for several weeks. Utah's recent win over Houston may explain the difference, but the metrics elsewhere favor UCLA.
New Mexico omitted
New Mexico, ranked 22nd in the AP poll, is the only AP-ranked team absent from the CFP Top 25. Three teams with three losses are ranked above the one-loss Mountain West champion, whose only defeat came by a touchdown on the road to SEC member Oklahoma. Given the committee's emphasis on SEC strength, New Mexico's exclusion raises questions about consistency.
