Miami Stays No. 1 in AP College Football Poll
Georgia climbs to No. 2 while Utah and Notre Dame hold the next two spots in the new AP Top 25 rankings.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Football
Miami remained No. 1 in the new AP Top 25 College Football Rankings released Sunday, with Georgia moving up to No. 2, Utah at No. 3 and Notre Dame at No. 4.
Why it matters
The rankings preview the College Football Playoff picture, where the top four seeds earn first-round byes and conference champions and at-large teams fill the bracket. The current order shapes which programs are positioned to reach the postseason.
The Southeastern Conference would place four teams on the current College Football Playoff bracket, while the Big Ten would have three, the Big 12 two. Final positioning remains subject to the Dec. 6 CFP rankings.
The players
Associated Press
The Associated Press is a long-running U.S. news wire service whose weekly AP Top 25 poll is one of the most widely followed rankings in college football.
College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff is the postseason tournament that determines the national champion of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, with its selection committee using rankings to set the bracket.
The details
The AP Top 25 poll placed Miami first, Georgia second, Utah third and Notre Dame fourth. Under the playoff format, the top four seeds receive first-round byes, the five highest-ranked conference champions including one from the Group of Six qualify, and the remaining seven spots go to the next-highest-ranked teams.
Timeline
Nov. 1: New AP Top 25 College Football Rankings released
Dec. 6: CFP final rankings release
Season Trajectory
Under the 12-team College Football Playoff format, five conference champions and seven at-large teams fill the bracket, so the current top-four order could decide who earns a first-round bye. Notre Dame would qualify as an independent only if it finishes inside the top 12 of the Dec. 6 final rankings.
Fans tracking playoff hopes should watch how the top four seeds and conference champions shift before Dec. 6, since a team's position determines whether it earns a first-round bye. For fantasy and betting purposes, Miami's and Georgia's placements signal which rosters carry the most postseason exposure.
The takeaway
Teams near the top of the rankings control their own playoff path, but the bracket remains fluid until the final CFP release. Following the Dec. 6 rankings will show which contenders secure byes and which fall into the at-large race.
What happens next
The College Football Playoff committee releases its final rankings on Dec. 6, which will set the official playoff seeds and bracket.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in the Football section for context on how these rankings shape the playoff picture.
