Texas Opens at No. 7 in Chaotic Playoff Rankings
The College Football Playoff committee placed Texas at No. 7 in its first rankings, released November 3, as the 2026 playoff picture began to take shape.
Texas landed seventh in the committee’s first College Football Playoff rankings, ahead of Ole Miss, which the Longhorns beat in Austin. The ranking leaves Texas in position to contend for a playoff bye, but the team has little room for another loss, with Missouri and LSU among its remaining potential top-20 opponents. The highest-ranked three-loss team is No. 21 South Carolina.
Miami tops the 25-team list, followed by Georgia, Utah and Indiana. Alabama is fifth, Kentucky sixth, and UCLA eighth as the lowest-ranked undefeated team. Notre Dame is 11th, while Ohio State sits 12th as the first team outside the projected bracket.
Some placements drew scrutiny. Boise State, with one loss, is 25th and behind three-loss Oregon, which beat the Broncos by one possession in the season opener. Wake Forest is 16th despite one loss, while two-loss Alabama is five spots ahead of Tennessee, which beat the Crimson Tide. The rankings also put Alabama above Texas, and Indiana remains fourth despite not having beaten a ranked opponent this season.
The projected first-round matchups include Ole Miss at Texas and Notre Dame at Kentucky. Texas could strengthen its position with wins over Missouri and LSU. Notre Dame, ranked 11th, faces top-ranked Miami this weekend; the outcome could affect its playoff prospects. The committee’s choices have prompted questions about how it is applying its criteria.