Miami is No. 1. The undefeated Hurricanes opened the College Football Playoff selection committee’s first Top 25 of the 2026 season at the top of the rankings, putting a Florida program at the center of the national title conversation.
The initial ranking gives Miami an early benchmark, not a playoff berth. The committee will issue five more rankings before Selection Day, and the Hurricanes still have to keep winning as the order takes shape.
Miami leads a crowded first top five
Georgia is No. 2 at 7-1, followed by undefeated Utah at No. 3 (8-0) and Indiana at No. 4 (8-1). Alabama rounds out the top five at 6-2. The opening order places two unbeaten teams in the top three and gives fans the first official snapshot of this season’s playoff race.
For Miami, the No. 1 position is a major early-season achievement and a boost for college football in Florida. It also raises the stakes: every remaining game will be viewed through the lens of a team currently holding the committee’s top spot.
Complete CFP committee rankings
- Miami (8-0)
- Georgia (7-1)
- Utah (8-0)
- Indiana (8-1)
- Alabama (6-2)
- Kentucky (7-1)
- Texas (6-2)
- UCLA (8-0)
- BYU (7-1)
- Ole Miss (6-2)
- Notre Dame (7-1)
- Ohio State (6-2)
- Tennessee (6-2)
- LSU (6-2)
- Texas Tech (7-1)
- Wake Forest (7-1)
- Houston (6-2)
- Missouri (6-2)
- Iowa (6-2)
- Southern California (7-2)
- South Carolina (5-3)
- Arizona (6-2)
- Oregon (5-3)
- Florida (5-3)
- Boise State (7-1)
Florida is No. 24, giving the state two teams in the committee’s first top 25. The rankings are an opening checkpoint in a long selection process, but the headline belongs to Miami: the Hurricanes begin at No. 1.
