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Week 7 was an incredibly fun week in college football but It also left the entire country, and fanbases in flux, not knowing what to think of their teams. Earlier in the season, teams lost and dropped several places. This week, with so many top teams losing, some teams barely dropped.
Teams like Indiana only dropped from No. 5 to No. 6, while a winning team like Ohio State only moved from No. 4 to No. 3. Now we must decide which teams deserve their rank, and which ones are there simply due to their schedule.
So, here are the top 25 teams, re-ranked in order of how confident fans should be if they make it into the College Football Playoff.
A team from the Big 12 conference has little chance to make it all the way to Las Vegas with the competition the conference has compared to others. This said, Arizona is the final conference team in the rankings and is the first one to be eliminated from contention for success. Brent Brennan has brought the Wildcats back after a tough season. But it will not be enough to get them to the playoffs.
SMU has already lost a game to Louisville. This means that the unranked Cardinals hold the tiebreaker over the Mustangs to get to the ACC Title Game in Charlotte. It will be extremely difficult for any ACC or Big 12 team to make the playoff without getting to their title game and this leaves SMU on the outside looking in.
I love Wake Forest. It is a great school, and they have been so kind to me. Jake Dickert has done amazing and if he remains at the school, he will take the Demon Deacons to their highest level possible. Unfortunately, With a loss to Miami already and another loss to Miami being if Wake Forest made it to Charlotte, they will get the BYU treatment of last season and miss out on the playoff. Even if it is only by one spot. Either way, for a team expected to win just four games in 2026, it is a great season.
Since leaving Texas A&M, quarterback Conner Weigman has been wonderful for the Cougars. But much like Wake Forest in the ACC, the best they can do is to get to their conference title game and lose We saw the results of this last season with BYU, in the same conference to boot. Houston has looked good at times and bad at other times. Willie Fritz is the best coach for them to move forward. And 2027 can be even better than 2026 with recruiting on an uptick.
Boise State looked good in their only loss to Oregon. But, as it turns out, Oregon is not as good as many thought, and the Ducks have lost two games thus far in the season. Boise State has the inside track on the Group of Six selection for the playoff. Even if the Broncos get in over James Madison or Oregon State, their ability to win a game is limited by the talent drain which now funnels everything up to those bigger schools.
Northwestern and especially Chip Kelly are just having fun this season. They are winning using the wing-t and many other sets not seen in college in many years. The Wildcats can continue to move up the ranks and get close. But with their bye coming in Week 2, they will finally run out of steam, and a late season slide might be coming their way. So, enjoy the ride the rest of the way. But make sure to always keep arms and legs inside the ride.
UCLA with Bob Chesney has been an amazing story. But they are now playing the rest of the season without starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The schedule for the entire season has been cupcake soft. Their most challenging games were going to be Oregon and USC. They have already taken care of Oregon without Dante Moore and if they can beat USC, there is a good chance they will make the playoffs. This is where the dream season ends.
USC already has one loss and has a challenging schedule left ahead of them. While this makes it less likely for them to get to the playoffs then UCLA, if they do get there, the Trojans’ will be battle-tested and more ready to compete. This is the only reason USC is higher. But there is still no real confidence in this team, especially with their defense.
Reports which just came out say that there is almost no chance that Arch Manning gets benched unless a horrible game happens against Ole Miss this week. This does make me want to downgrade the Longhorns, but I am going to fight those urges and leave them here based on their talent.
Collin Simmons was injured last week and will miss a week or two. Had it been longer, the Texas defense, which is one of the best in the nation, would take a large hit. As it is, they can still hold teams down for those weeks when Simmons is out. Ole Miss is a challenging opponent this week. If Texas loses, they are more than likely done as far as a playoff berth is concerned. But if they can pull off a victory over the Rebels then Texas is right back in the mix and will have a chance to make the playoffs, where anything can happen.
Can you imagine this defense with a solid offense? There is no need anymore as Iowa showed this in their last game when they put up 41 points in Seattle against Washington. Minnesota this week and a Black Friday affair with Nebraska are key to Iowa making a playoff run. But if Kirk Ferentz gets the Hawkeyes to the dance, they will be a nuisance for someone.
Florida is coming off an unexpected win against Texas. But star running back Jadan Baugh has slowed in recent weeks as he has been banged up, along with starting quarterback Aaron Philo.
While Tremelle Jones was good against Texas, we have to see how he continues to play moving forward. Florida already has two losses to South Carolina and Missouri and after their bye week they will have to defeat Georgia to have any chance to make it further. If the Gators can pull off a victory over the Bulldogs, they can beat any team in the country. We must wait and see if this can happen or not though.
Another fun team with a first-year head coach in |Will Stein, the Kentucky Wildcats have pulled off upsets against LSU and Oklahoma over the past two weeks. The week before that, Kentucky made a big comeback against South Carolina, winning in overtime on a two-point conversion. Stein has the fans rejuvenated and looks ready to take them to a new level of success with an exciting offense and the ability to recruit nationally. The only sad thing to say about the success of Stein is that it is putting even more pressure on Mark Pope and the basketball team to be elite this season.
The only reason Missouri is above Kentucky is Eli Drinkwitz. Where Stein is a first-year coach, Drinkwitz has been here before and knows what pressure comes with it. Missouri, who is perennially featured in the top 25 to help the strength of the SEC, is now a real threat if they were to make the playoffs. Quarterback Austin Simmons, a transfer from Ole Miss, is finding his comfort level in Columbia and it has shown in his play and leadership of a Tigers program who lost their best player in Ahmed Hardy in the offseason. Hardy still has a chance to return this season. If he does, it will just add to a talented offense. If not, Missouri still looks like a team with the ability to win a game in the postseason.
The final team in the Big 12 trifecta, Utah is listed last due to the BYU win over Notre Dame being far better than anything the Utes have on their schedule this far. The Holy War looks like it will be the most important game in the conference this season. The winner between Utah and BYU will go to Dallas to play Texas Tech. This season, the game is being held in Salt Lake City and Utah has a good chance to win. I do not think they will though and this leaves them on the outside looking in when championship week comes calling.
I know they are the hot team right now. They just beat Notre Dame without LJ Smith, and they are up to No. 2 in the AP Poll. But they can still lose a few games. Especially if they have a letdown coming off that win over the Irish. With a trip to Salt Lake City to take on Utah and a potential game against Texas Tech in the conference title game, two losses are still in the realm of possibility for the Cougars. With the Notre Dame win, this could still get them into the playoffs. But it will depend on whether Notre Dame can win against Miami on Nov. 7 and go the rest of the way undefeated.
The top team in Big 12 also has the most talent. The Red Raiders have taken a small step back in 2026, but they are still ahead of the rest of the conference and have already beaten their most difficult opponent of the season in Houston. If they can once again win the conference title and make the playoffs, they might not get a bye. But this may work out for the best as it would give them a home game against either the No. 11 or No. 12-seed and get them ready for a challenging second-round game — something they were ill-prepared for last season when they were shut out by Oregon.
Lane Kiffin is arrogant and full of drama. But he is also an incredibly good coach, and he has a talented roster with the Tigers. However, Kiffin and the Tigers already have two losses before Halloween and have no room for error going forward.
This week, LSU will travel to Auburn to take on a squad coming off a victory over Georgia in Athens. It was a confidence-boosting win, but one which could also lead to a letdown for Auburn if the coaching staff is not careful. If LSU can make it through the tough road environment, there is still a game left against Alabama — a playoff elimination for both teams in this baffling season. LSU has the talent to compete with anyone in the country.
The biggest issue the Volunteers will be forced to overcome is their confusion at the quarterback position. Freshman Faison Brandon started the season and got Tennessee off to a good start before being sacked 10 times in the loss to Texas. Those sacks also left Brandon ailing and George MacIntyre as the starter for the past two weeks, games in which the offense has looked much better. The defense has also found a new level of play.
The third Saturday in October turned out to be the third time in a row that Tennessee beat Alabama in Knoxville. This has allowed Tennessee to remain in contention for a trip to Atlanta and a showdown with Georgia in the final SEC Championship game. If they make it to Atlanta, it will be a challenge to defeat the Bulldogs. But it also means that the Volunteers win the rest of their games and go into the game with just one loss. If this is the case, they will still be in the playoff bracket and have a chance to go deep., especially if the team stays with MacIntyre and the defense remains solid.
Ole Miss looked amazing in games against LSU and Missouri while looking equally bad in their loss to Florida. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has done nothing this season to change the perception that he is a top arm in college football. If Kewan Lacy can get and remain healthy, the Rebels have talent enough to get back to the playoff semifinals. From there, anything can happen and they can go further. If Lacy continues to miss chunks of time and the defense does not get marginally better, Ole Miss could also see themselves at the wrong end of a first-round game.
Alabama is currently coming off two losses in a row to Georgia and Tennessee. But they still have Keelon Russell, and the running game has remained strong. Unlike the past two seasons. Alabama must get back on track before their trip to LSU or they will lose another game and there will be more chatter of a coaching change in Tuscaloosa. If the Crimson Tide can go into Death Valley and win, the chances they get into the playoff is strong. We saw how well they can play in games earlier this season and against Georgia. In the game against Georgia, they could have easily won if the officials did not make calls incorrectly. While not one of the true contenders for the national championship, Alabama is the first team on the outside looking in.
Ohio State would have been higher on this list, perhaps at No. 1 if Julian Sayin had not been hurt during the Buckeyes exciting win over Indiana on Saturday. Sayin, who injured his shoulder, could be out for a few weeks, according to coach Ryan Day. Without knowing how long he will be out, or what to expect from Ohio State’s backup quarterbacks against teams like Oregon, USC and Michigan should he be unable to go, the Buckeyes have to remain at the bottom of the top tier for now.
Despite losing to Ohio State on Saturday, Indiana still has the inside track to Indianapolis with the Buckeyes loss of Julian Sayin to injury. Josh Hoover has still not thrown an interception this season for the Hoosiers and Charlie Becker, Nick Marsh and Turbo Richardson provide weapons for Curt Cignetti and Hoover to employ against anyone. Indiana has had some challenging games in the past three weeks against Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State. Rather than blowing teams out as they did on their way to the national title in 2025, this will be more competitive. Don’t count Indiana out until the clock hits triple zeroes.
CJ Carr has played well this season. Not to a Heisman Trophy levelm but good enough to help the Irish defeat all their previous opponents handily. This stopped on Saturday when Notre Dame came up just short in Provo in a 28-24 loss to BYU. After the game ended on a controversial call (which was later proven to be wrong), the Irish must win the rest of their games to make the playoffs.
The Miami game on Nov. 7, in South Bend makes the entire season for the team. Either they win this game and Marcus Freeman has another chance to win a national championship, or they should miss the playoffs for the second season in a row and just perhaps, Freeman decides the NFL is not such a bad choice this offseason.
Miami has dealt with a few injuries to running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and others. So far, it has not limited them. But this is because they have played absolutely no one thus far. Florida State gave them a scare on Saturday before the Hurricanes were able to escape with an eight-point overtime win. Their next challenge will be at Notre Dame on Nov. 7. Whoever wins that game will be right behind Georgia in these confidence rankings.
Even with their loss to Auburn, Georgia is still favored to get to Atlanta and the final SEC Championship Game, where they will look to win their third title in a row. By doing so, they will get a top seed in the playoffs and have one less game to play. Despite their failures in recent seasons under these same circumstances, the Bulldogs still have the best chance to make it all the way to Las Vegas for the National Championship Game. Kirby Smart knows how to get the best out of his players and now is the best time to find out again that he remains the best coach in America.
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