sportingnews
Week 10 delivered significant upsets in college football, extending beyond No. 1 Miami's road defeat to Notre Dame. No. 10 Ole Miss suffered a lopsided loss to No. 2 Georgia, positioning the Bulldogs to claim the top spot in this week's College Football Playoff rankings. Meanwhile, No. 6 Kentucky's tenure in the top 10 appears precarious following a blowout loss at Tennessee. Ohio State and LSU, both losers at home, have likely removed themselves from playoff consideration for now.
Perhaps the most consequential win outside of South Bend belonged to Utah, which defeated in-state rival BYU in the "Holy War" to preserve its undefeated record and take a major step toward a playoff berth. The Sporting News is providing live coverage of the second CFP rankings reveal of the season, with the updated bracket available below.
College Football Playoff Rankings 2026: Top 12
The complete top 12 for the second CFP poll will be updated upon release. The next four teams and the remainder of the top 25 will also be listed.
How the 12-Team Format Works in 2026
The playoff structure remains a 12-team field, but seeding adjustments have been implemented for this season. Automatic bids are now awarded to the four Power Four conference champions (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) and the highest-ranked team from the remaining FBS conferences. Previously, the five highest-ranked conference champions, regardless of conference, received automatic bids. Notre Dame can also earn an automatic bid by finishing in the top 12. The seven remaining spots are at-large bids, awarded to the highest-ranked available teams. The four highest-ranked teams, whether conference champions or not, receive the top four seeds and first-round byes, while the other eight teams compete in the first round.
Based on Tuesday's rankings, the playoff seeding would be as follows (to be updated):
- First round: No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7, No. 9 at No. 8
- Quarterfinals: No. 1 vs. No. 8/9, No. 2 vs. No. 7/10, No. 3 vs. No. 6/11, No. 4 vs. No. 5/12
Key dates: First round Dec. 18-19; Fiesta Bowl (quarterfinal) Dec. 30; Cotton, Rose, Peach Bowls (quarterfinals) Jan. 1; Orange Bowl (semifinal) Jan. 14; Sugar Bowl (semifinal) Jan. 15; National Championship Jan. 25.
College Football Playoff Predictions
The Sporting News' Bill Bender projects the following bracket for Week 11: 1. Georgia (8-1), 2. Utah (9-0), 3. UCLA (9-0), 4. Notre Dame (8-1), 5. Miami (8-1), 6. Alabama (7-2), 7. Indiana (7-1), 8. Texas (7-2), 9. Texas Tech (8-1), 10. Tennessee (7-2), 11. Wake Forest (8-1), 12. Boise State (8-1).
CFP Rankings Release Schedule
The College Football Playoff rankings shows will air each Tuesday until the final weekend, with the bracket revealed on Sunday, Dec. 6. The schedule is as follows:
- Tuesday, Nov. 10: 9-9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (stream on Fubo)
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: 9-9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (stream on Fubo)
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: 7:30-8 p.m. ET on ESPN (stream on Fubo)
- Tuesday, Dec. 1: 7-7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (stream on Fubo)
- Sunday, Dec. 6 (Selection Day): 12-3 p.m. ET on ESPN (stream on Fubo)
Originally reported by sportingnews.