The College Football Playoff Committee released the season’s first rankings on Tuesday, but they could shift drastically with a wild Week 10 ahead.
Seven games on Saturday feature matchups between teams in the CFP top-25 rankings, and three of those games involve top-12 teams. The top 12 matter because a dozen playoff spots are up for grabs.
Miami, which didn’t get into the CFP top 10 until right before last year’s playoff, received the top ranking this time amid an 8–0 start. The defending national runner-up has a tough test ahead on Saturday against No. 11 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
It’s arguably the biggest matchup between the Hurricanes and the Fighting Irish since the “Catholics versus Convicts” rivalry of the 1980s. Notre Dame (7–1) needs the win badly since a No. 11 ranking as an independent wouldn’t bode well if the CFP started soon.
CFP spots go to the four power conference champions, the top Group of Six team and seven other at-large squads. Notre Dame already has a loss to BYU (7–1), which landed No. 9 in the CFP rankings.
The Fighting Irish fell short of the CFP last season, and Miami edged the Irish for the last spot. Notre Dame ultimately opted out of bowl season, too.
This season’s Irish squad hasn’t beaten ranked opponents, and Notre Dame could change that on Saturday. If the Irish don’t beat the Hurricanes, winning the remaining games might not be enough for Notre Dame to make the CFP.
A Notre Dame win on Saturday could shake things up in the CFP rankings. The Irish came just a field goal short against the Hurricanes last year in Florida, so Notre Dame could avenge that defeat on Saturday.
Second-ranked Georgia (7–1) faces No. 10 Ole Miss (6–2) on the road on Saturday. The Rebels have marquee wins over No. 14 LSU and No. 18 Missouri. Georgia lost to Auburn and had a close call with No. 5 Alabama (6–2), so the Bulldogs aren’t invincible.
Third-ranked Utah (8–0) puts an unbeaten record on the line on Saturday against BYU, and that game will significantly impact the Big 12 race in addition to the CFP rankings. If Utah loses, the Utes fall into a pack of potentially three teams with one loss in the Big 12 standings.
The Notre Dame leprechaun McKenna Englhardt celebrates during the second half of the game between Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill on Nov. 1, 2025. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Texas Tech, ranked No. 15, could jump ahead of BYU amid a 7–1 start. The Red Raiders host West Virginia on Saturday, and the Mountaineers have back-to-back conference wins.
Alabama faces a top-25 CFP matchup on Saturday against No. 14 LSU (6–2). The Crimson Tide have enjoyed a definitive edge in the series in recent years, but the Tigers are riding a convincing two-game winning streak after a close loss to No. 6 Kentucky.
The Wildcats (7–1) also have a matchup within the CFP rankings amid a road trip to No. 13 Tennessee. Kentucky will get one of its biggest tests of the season.
Texas also faces a team in the CFP rankings on Saturday: No. 18 Missouri. The Longhorns have won back-to-back games after back-to-back losses to No. 24 Florida (5–3) and Oklahoma.
Ohio State, ranked No. 12, looks to bounce back from a loss to No. 20 USC (7–2) on Saturday. The Buckeyes face No. 23 Oregon (5–3), which needs to win out and get help to have any sliver of a chance at the CFP.
Eighth-ranked UCLA (8–0) faces a Minnesota team that nearly upset No. 4 Indiana last week. Fellow ranked teams such as No. 17 Houston (6–2), No. 19 Iowa (6–2), No. 21 South Carolina (5–3) (5–3), No. 22 Arizona (6–2) and Florida (5–3) will all need to likewise avoid upsets in their respective conferences on Saturday. Sixteenth-ranked Wake Forest (7–1) will need to avoid an FCS upset by Merrimack.
Boise State, the lone G6 team in the CFP rankings, received the No. 25 ranking, but the Broncos could climb into the top 12 when all is said and done. The Broncos look to win the Pac-12 and lock up the G6 playoff spot, and they can take a step toward that with a win over Colorado State on Saturday.
