CFP rankings winners and losers: Alabama stunner, Notre Dame nightmare

CFP rankings winners and losers: Alabama stunner, Notre Dame nightmare.

Key points

• Miami does not have the wins to match one-loss teams such as Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky, not to mention two-loss contenders such as Texas, Alabama and Tennessee.
• 16 Wake Forest and two lopsided wins against a pair of opponents with a winning record in Clemson and Pittsburgh.
• 25 Boise State was the only team from the Group of Six in the rankings.
• While Miami took the top spot, the SEC owned the debut rankings with four teams in the top seven and nine teams overall in the Top 25.
• 11 is a total nightmare for Notre Dame, emphasizing the do-or-die aspect of the matchup with Miami.

In practice, the debut College Football Playoff rankings show the power of being unbeaten.

But being one of only three unbeaten teams in the Bowl Subdivision supported land the Hurricanes at No. 1 in the first rankings of the 2026 season, ahead of the No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Utah and the No. 4 Indiana.

Toppmeyer: CFP rankings send Ohio State a brutal message: Lose again, you're done. Hayes: Tennessee embarrassed Alabama. CFP committee embarrassed itself.

Miami has a particularly good win against No. 16 Wake Forest and two lopsided wins against a pair of opponents with a winning record in Clemson and Pittsburgh. Only two of eight wins have come by a single-digit margin.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes should feel confident in their ability to hold onto the top spot by running the table in the regular season. That quest begins on Saturday with a massive matchup against Notre Dame, ranked No. 11 by the committee, in what could be a playoff eliminator for the Fighting Irish.

Miami, the SEC and Ohio State lead the winners and losers from the first playoff rankings. First CFP rankings winners.

While Miami took the top spot, the SEC owned the debut rankings with four teams in the top seven and nine teams overall in the Top 25. After Georgia, the list of ranked SEC teams features No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Mississippi, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 14 LSU, No. 18 Missouri and No. 21 South Carolina.

That the conference has just two one-loss teams heading into November is a little concerning given that no three-loss team has earned an at-large playoff berth without winning or playing for the conference championship. But having this plenty of teams in the first rankings speaks to how the committee at present views the SEC as the strongest of the Power Four leagues, and rightfully so. Come early December, this perception should overcome playoff history to land at least one and potentially multiple three-loss teams in the bracket.

For context, the biggest type of winner is the plenty of two-loss teams in the SEC. No contender proves that point more than the Crimson Tide, whose rise into the top five was the most stunning single ranking on Tuesday night. Think of this way: Tennessee dominated Alabama last month but came in eight spots behind the Tide. What buoys Alabama are wins against Kentucky and South Carolina, what was then a ranked win against Mississippi State and a particularly competitive loss to Georgia. According to Committee chair Hunter Yurachek, win against Mississippi State on the road as a significant plus to the Crimson Tide's resume as it came when the Bulldogs were unbeaten and quarterback Kamario Taylor was healthy before a season-ending injury. Before Tuesday night, the thought was that Alabama had to win this weekend against LSU to stay alive in the playoff race. But these rankings say that the Tide probably can afford a close lose to the Tigers and remain in the bracket as long as they win out from there.

Unsurprisingly, No. 25 Boise State was the only team from the Group of Six in the rankings. To have any Group of Six team in the debut Top 25 is a little surprising; there were none in the first rankings of last season. But the Broncos have moved into the driver's seat for another playoff appearance thanks to a narrow loss to Oregon and wins against Memphis, Western Michigan and Fresno State. While there's no way to know what Group of Six teams the committee had under consideration, other contenders include Texas-San Antonio, North Dakota State and Memphis.

While lacking the overall depth of the SEC, the Major Ten was additionally rewarded with six teams in the rankings. This group includes a number of teams on the back end of the Top 25 in No. 19 Iowa, No. 20 Southern California and No. 23 Oregon. (The Ducks were one of the bigger surprises in the rankings after posting three losses.) Closer to the top, the conference has the Hoosiers and unbeaten No. 8 UCLA. One thing to keep in mind this month: While this will be a bloody final month for the SEC, with multiple games on the docket between two-loss contenders, the Major Ten has fewer bubble-bursting matchups in November and could end the regular season with more two-loss teams than the SEC.

First CFP rankings losers.

Coming in at No. 11 is a total nightmare for Notre Dame, emphasizing the do-or-die aspect of the matchup with Miami. Clearly, a loss on Saturday should end any chance the Fighting Irish have of getting back into the playoff after missing last year's tournament with two losses. The matter is the lack of marquee wins: Wisconsin is the best note on Notre Dame's résumé. It is a serious challenge. That has led to extra fallout for No. 9 Brigham Young, which beat the Irish last month. The Cougars hoped to crack the top five largely since of that win, but a loss to Central Florida and close calls against TCU, Iowa State and Arizona State have dinged their reputation.

Had they won against Southern California last Saturday, the Buckeyes would've been in the top three of the rankings and in the debate for No. 1. Instead, Ohio State debuted at No. 12, behind every unbeaten or one-loss Power Four other than Wake Forest and additionally well behind Texas due to the Longhorns' non-conference win in September. This is rare territory for one of the dominant programs in the country: OSU hadn't been ranked lower than No. 7 at any point in the playoff rankings since being No. 10 on Nov. 18, 2018, and hadn't been this low in the debut rankings since coming in at No. 16 in the first-ever Top 25 on Oct. 26, 2014. (That team won the national championship.).

Wake Forest had an argument for being higher based on the good loss to Miami, a win against Louisville and an active four-game run of decimating ACC competition. As one example of a team ahead of the Demon Deacons, LSU has just a single win against a Power Four opponent with a winning record, blowing out Clemson in the season opener. While suggesting that they might tumble out the rankings with a loss this month, to debut at No. 16 additionally states the Deacons are in the mix for an at-large spot should they run the table in November with wins against SMU and Duke and play the Hurricanes tight for a second time in the ACC championship game.

Meanwhile, No. 15 Texas Tech comes in as the lowest-ranked one-loss Power Four team. There is an argument for the Red Raiders being ranked too low: No. 17 Houston and No. 22 Arizona are particularly good wins, and they additionally scored a nice non-conference victory against Oregon State. Tech was additionally pushed around by Cincinnati, though, and that loss looks worse after the Bearcats were blown out by Utah. More than anything, this first ranking essentially narrows the Red Raiders' playoff path. While messiness in the SEC and Major Ten would change things, Tech might be a team that can only reach the playoff via another conference championship.

Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around CFP rankings winners and losers: Alabama stunner, Notre Dame nightmare point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.