Major Shake Up in CFP Rankings as IU Drops to 9th

There were seismic shifts in the second rendition of the 2026 College Football Playoff Rankings and the Indiana Hoosiers were at the center of it. IU dropped five spots, from 4th to 9th, after being idle last week. The Hoosiers are 8-1 (5-1), but eight of their nine opponents lost last week, which hurt their strength of schedule.

The Hoosiers do control their own destiny to make it to the Big Ten Championship game thanks to Ohio State’s loss to Oregon. The Big Ten champion gets an automatic berth in the College Football Playoff, so the path is clear and does not really rely on the whims of a selection committee.

The Hoosiers have a great opportunity to boost their resume as they face the No. 18 USC Trojans in Bloomington on Saturday afternoon.

Full College Football Playoff Rankings:

1. Georgia (8-1)
2. Utah (9-0)
3. Alabama (7-2)
4. UCLA (9-0)
5. Notre Dame (8-1)
6. Texas (7-2)
7. Miami (8-1)
8. Tennessee (7-2)
9. Indiana (8-1)
10. BYU (7-2)
11. Kentucky (7-2)
12. Texas Tech (8-1)
13. Wake Forest (8-1)
14. Houston (7-2)
15. Iowa (7-2)
16. Oregon (6-3)
17. South Carolina (6-3)
18. USC (7-2)
19. Ole Miss (6-3)
20. Ohio State (6-3)
21. LSU (6-3)
22. Missouri (6-3)
23. Arizona (7-2)
24. Boise State (8-1)
25. Oklahoma State (6-3)

Other CFP Notes

CFP SELECTION COMMITTEE RANKINGS AT A GLANCE

• This is the 74th edition of the CFP selection committee rankings. The first-ever CFP ranking was released Oct. 28, 2014.

• Georgia takes over at No. 1 from Miami. It is the Bulldogs’ 16th week overall at No. 1, which ranks second-most all-time in the CFP era behind Alabama (24).

• Utah, at No. 2, has earned its highest CFP ranking in program history (previous best: No. 3 last week).

• UCLA enters Week 11 ranked No. 4, the highest-ever CFP ranking for the Bruins (previous best: No. 8).

• UCLA and Utah are the two lone undefeated teams left in the FBS entering Week 11. These two undefeated teams in the second ranking of a season match the fewest in CFP history (2014).

• This week marks the earliest a two-loss team (Alabama (7-2) at No. 3) has been in the top 4 (previous earliest: Nov. 28, 2017 Auburn).

• Notre Dame is the first team in CFP history to jump from outside the top 10 into the top 5 in one week (No. 11 to No. 5).

• Biggest risers in this week’s selection committee rankings include:
• Oregon (up seven spots from No. 23 to No. 16)
• Notre Dame (up six spots from No. 11 to No. 5)
• Tennessee (up five spots from No. 13 to No. 8)
• UCLA (up four spots from No. 8 to No. 4)

• Houston comes in at No. 14, marking its highest CFP ranking in program history (previous best: No. 17 last week).

• Boise State remains the highest-ranked team from a Group of Six conference at No. 24.

• At No. 25, Oklahoma State returns to the rankings for the first time since the 2023 season.