The CFP rankings released on Tuesday put Georgia at No. 1, and the new list gave the selection committee a better reception than the first one a week earlier. Georgia moved up one place to the top spot after the committee weighed games played through Saturday, November 7. Utah stayed unbeaten at 9-0 and rose to No. 2, while Alabama climbed to No. 3 at 7-2. Notre Dame made the biggest move of the week, jumping six places to No. 5 after beating Miami, the team that had held the top spot. UCLA, also 9-0, sits at No. 4.
How the CFP rankings changed at the top
The first CFP rankings, released on November 3, had Miami at No. 1 after an 8-0 start, with Georgia second, Utah third and Indiana fourth. The opening list drew heavy criticism from fans and writers, who questioned several placements. The second release corrected some of that, with Tennessee, Notre Dame and UCLA all moving up sharply and Indiana falling back. Alabama’s win over LSU helped its case, and the committee moved the Crimson Tide up two places. Committee chair Hunter Yurachek, the Arkansas athletic director, has pointed to quality wins as a measure the group weighs, and Alabama’s run of wins against ranked teams gave it a place in the top group even with two losses.
The Southeastern Conference had 10 teams in the first top 25, more than any other conference. Georgia and Alabama kept the league at the top of the second list, while Utah carried the Big 12 at No. 2 and UCLA did the same for the Big Ten at No. 4. The committee has 13 members, chaired by Yurachek, and includes athletic directors, former head coaches, former players and a sportswriter.
Notre Dame leads the movers in the CFP rankings
Notre Dame’s rise was the clearest sign of how much one result can change the picture. The Fighting Irish were No. 11 a week ago and had questions about their schedule. They answered some of those by beating Miami, the No. 1 team, after leading by 21 points at one stage. The committee moved them to No. 5, inside the group that would host a first-round game under the current bracket. Miami fell from the top spot after the defeat. Ohio State and LSU also dropped, while Oklahoma State entered the CFP rankings at No. 25 with a 6-3 record. Florida dropped out after holding the No. 24 place last week.
What the CFP rankings mean for the bracket
The CFP rankings are a weekly snapshot, and the committee will release three more sets before the final list on Sunday, December 6, when the 12-team field is set. The four highest-ranked teams receive first-round byes. The next release comes on Tuesday, November 17, after the committee meets on November 16 and 17. Georgia, Utah, UCLA and Alabama hold the bye places for now, with Notre Dame first among the teams that would play in the opening round. The committee ranks teams on results, strength of schedule and conference championships, using video, data and input from conferences. It is a human ranking, not a computer list, and it is separate from the Associated Press poll.
Games left to shape the final list
Four weekends of regular-season games remain, and the order at the top can still change a lot. Georgia has home games against Missouri on November 14 and Georgia Tech on November 28, with road games at Ole Miss and South Carolina still to come. Utah and UCLA have to protect unbeaten records, and Alabama has to show that two losses do not keep it out of the top four. Notre Dame has a win over the team that started the week at No. 1, and that gives it a case if the teams above it slip. The committee meets each week until the final CFP rankings, so every result from here on feeds straight into the bracket.
The committee’s third set of CFP rankings will be shown on Tuesday, November 17, at about 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN app.