College Football Playoff bracket: What 12-team field would look like after first 2026 CFP rankings

The SEC got a big boost from the College Football Playoff committee in the initial rankings

Nov 3, 2026 at 8:06 pm ET • 2 min read

No. 1 Miami led the first College Football Playoff Rankings of 2026 season as one of only three undefeated teams remaining in the sport. The Hurricanes edge out No. 2 Georgia and fellow undefeated No. 3 Utah to rank at the top. Those three teams join No. 4 Indiana from the Big Ten as the four first-round byes in the College Football Playoff. 

As usual, the SEC received a stunning bump of contenders compared to the AP Top 25. Alabama ranked four spots ahead of their AP ranking, coming in at No. 5 in the first CFP Rankings. Kentucky sits at No. 6 and Texas No. 7, also multiple spots ahead of their AP Poll ranking. 

However, the most interesting part of the bracket comes at the end. Notre Dame projects as the last time into the College Football Playoff field as the 11-seed. Powerhouse Ohio State is the first team out of the bracket at No. 12, nudged out for top Group of Six championship No. 25 Boise State. 

Here is a look at how the College Football playoff bracket looks after the first CFP Rankings release of the 2026 season. The schools in this scenario that would host a first-round game are No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Texas and No. 8 UCLA. 

Notre Dame must beat Miami

Last season, Notre Dame was the first team out of the College Football Playoff after finishing 10-2 with losses against two CFP squads. This year, the Fighting Irish are in an even more precarious situation coming out of the first rankings, sitting as the last team in the field. 

Notre Dame already has a loss to BYU on its schedule, and now plays No. 1 Miami on Saturday. If the Fighting Irish don't beat the top team in the nation, they're nearly a lock to miss the postseason. Notre Dame's only other potential positive data points -- SMU and Wisconsin -- both lost last weekend. They're already in the danger zone. 

The SEC is getting lots of credit

The CFP committee typically gives the SEC a little bump compared to the AP rankings, but this year was a whole different level. Four SEC teams ranked in the top seven of the CFP Rankings, compared to one in the AP Top 25. 

Alabama was the biggest winner, ranking at No. 5 in the CFP Rankings despite two losses, three spots ahead of their AP poll ranking. No. 6 Kentucky and No. 7 Texas also moved up significantly. There are five SEC teams in the projected CFP field this year, and No. 13 Tennessee and No. 14 LSU ensure that the league will get plenty of teams in. 

What would a 24-team field look like?

The College Football Playoff field will be 12 teams for at least one more season, but Yahoo Sports mocked up what a larger expansion could look like. The SEC would get nine teams into the field -- more than half the league.