Miami No. 1 in Both: How the First CFP Rankings Compare to Our FBS Top 25

Miami is No. 1 in the College Football Playoff selection committee's first rankings of 2026, and the Hurricanes hold the same spot in our FBS Top 25. Below the top spot, the committee and our voters split in some big ways.

The committee released its rankings on Nov. 3, based on games played through Oct. 31. Our Week 9 FBS Top 25 covers the same games. Twenty-two teams appear on both lists.

The CFP rankings and our Top 25, side by side

Here is every team ranked by the committee, our voters or both. NR means not ranked.

Where the committee and our voters agree

Both lists start with 8-0 Miami. Our voters gave the Hurricanes 10 first-place votes, with Utah getting three and UCLA and Georgia one each.

Four teams make both top fives: Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana. BYU, Ohio State, LSU, Houston and Arizona all land within two spots of each other on the two lists. Arizona is No. 22 on both.

The biggest gaps

Boise State shows the widest split. Our voters have the 7-1 Broncos at No. 16, but the committee put them last at No. 25.

Alabama and Wake Forest are next, each seven spots apart. The committee has 6-2 Alabama at No. 5, while our voters have the Crimson Tide at No. 12. It goes the other way for 7-1 Wake Forest, which is No. 9 in our poll and No. 16 for the committee.

UCLA is the biggest surprise near the top. The 8-0 Bruins are No. 3 in our poll, but the committee placed them No. 8, behind three one-loss teams and two two-loss teams. Texas Tech (No. 10 for us, No. 15 for the committee) and Notre Dame (No. 6 for us, No. 11 for the committee) are each five spots lower on the committee's list.

The committee was kinder to SEC teams with two losses. Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee all rank at least four spots higher with the committee than in our poll. For more on the Fighting Irish, read Omar-Rashon Borja's look at the Notre Dame-Navy game and the College Football Playoff.

Teams on only one list

Three teams in our Top 25 missed the committee's rankings: No. 23 New Mexico, No. 24 Northwestern and No. 25 UTSA.

The committee filled those spots with three 5-3 SEC and Big Ten teams. South Carolina is No. 21, Oregon is No. 23 and Florida is No. 24. All three got votes in our poll, finishing 27th, 28th and 29th in points.

Program firsts in the CFP rankings

Miami is No. 1 in the CFP rankings for the first time in program history, according to the CFP. The Hurricanes are the 11th program to hold the top spot and the first ACC team there since Clemson in 2017.

Three other teams reached new highs. Utah's No. 3 spot is its best CFP ranking, topping its old high of No. 5. Kentucky's No. 6 beats its previous best of No. 9, and Houston's No. 17 edges its old mark of No. 18. In our poll, Utah is No. 2, Kentucky is No. 8 and Houston is No. 19.

What's next

The committee meets again Nov. 9-10 and will release its next rankings Nov. 10 at about 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Our Week 10 FBS Top 25 will show whether our voters move any closer to the committee.