Oct 11, 2026
·Mary Callahan
Down goes No. 1!
The Texas Longhorns had been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for the last four weeks after knocking off then-No. 1 Ohio State, but Texas fell to archrival Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, shaking up the top of the rankings. Now, a different SEC team sits above the rest: unbeaten Georgia.
But should the Bulldogs be No. 1 in the nation? To me, there are four unbeaten teams — including Georgia — with a legitimate argument for being ranked No. 1 overall. There are also three one-loss teams that, while not No. 1 right now, could claim the top spot down the line.
College football rankings 2026: Four undefeated teams that could be No. 1
Georgia currently leads the AP Top 25, but Notre Dame, Miami and Indiana have all made compelling cases for the top spot. Here's how the four undefeated contenders stack up, what makes each team dangerous and what questions remain as the College Football Playoff race heats up.
Georgia Bulldogs (6-0, No. 1): Why Georgia deserves the top ranking
It’s always a battle when Georgia and Alabama square off, and while we could certainly see another matchup between these SEC rivals, this round went to the Bulldogs.
Georgia rolled into Tuscaloosa and left with a 20-17 win in what was a fun back-and-forth affair between two really, really good teams. Officiating — an overturned Alabama interception and a no-call pass interference on Georgia’s defense — will be talking points this week, but the Bulldogs are now 6-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation.
It makes a lot of sense why the nod goes to Georgia. The Bulldogs have arguably the best win of any team in the nation this year after beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The defense hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game this season and held Alabama — which had scored 45 or more in its first five games — to just 17, drastically limiting star Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell.
Offensively, the Bulldogs lean on the run, but quarterback Gunner Stockton accounted for two total touchdowns and completed more than 80% of his passes against Alabama on Saturday. He made some very impressive throws in key spots, and Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have to feel good about their quarterback moving forward.
This was Georgia’s first real test after a weak start to the schedule, and the Bulldogs passed in a big way. You won’t get a complaint from me that they’re No. 1 right now.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0, No. 2): Can Notre Dame prove it's the best team in college football?
Notre Dame, like the next team on our list and in the latest AP poll, has a claim to be No. 1, but there are also some big questions to be answered.
The Irish are 6-0 after a 58-7 beatdown of Stanford on Saturday. Notre Dame has won all six of its games by double digits, with four of those victories coming by at least 28 points. But the strength of schedule — at least so far — stands out.
I love the Irish’s defense. There’s NFL talent across the board, and head coach Marcus Freeman — a former defensive play-caller — clearly takes a lot of pride in that side of the ball. Offensively, despite losing two elite running backs to the NFL last year, things are rolling as quarterback CJ Carr has emerged as one of the top signal-callers in the nation.
Like I said, though, the Irish haven’t really been tested. They’ve beaten Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina and Stanford. Wisconsin is surprisingly 4-1, but the rest of Notre Dame’s early competition doesn’t really stand out. That’s part of the issue that comes with not playing in a conference.
I think Notre Dame is among the nation’s elite, and I had the Fighting Irish reaching the College Football Playoff championship game in my preseason predictions. I still think they can get there. But we’re going to learn a lot about Notre Dame very soon.
The Irish have a date with undefeated BYU this weekend in Provo, and on Nov. 7, they’ll face Miami — the next team we’ll discuss — at home. SMU is ranked No. 24 and is Notre Dame’s 11th opponent of the 2026 season.
It’s hard not to be impressed with Notre Dame’s dominance thus far, but it comes with a grain of salt. A win over a very good BYU squad this weekend would strengthen the Fighting Irish’s claim to being the top team in the nation.
Miami Hurricanes (5-0, No. 3): Is Miami a College Football Playoff title contender?
The Hurricanes lost in the CFP title game last season and look like a team possessed to get back and win it all this year. Miami is 5-0 and has largely dominated its opponents. Outside of a 13-point road win over a good — and now ranked — Wake Forest team, the Hurricanes have won by 39, 70, 49 and 28 points.
Like we just said with Notre Dame, the Hurricanes’ schedule is pretty weak overall this year. An upcoming matchup with the Irish will teach us a lot about both teams, but Miami really doesn’t have any other major tests on the schedule.
Pittsburgh on Oct. 24 could be interesting, as the Panthers are 5-1, and Duke (Nov. 14) is 4-1. But the Hurricanes feel like they’re in a different class than those two teams, and this seems like a pretty weak season for the ACC as a whole.
Mario Cristobal has once again assembled elite talent at all levels for his alma mater, and the Hurricanes have struck gold at quarterback for the third year in a row.
After Cam Ward went No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft following the 2024 season and Carson Beck led Miami to the CFP title game last year, Darian Mensah has emerged as a top Heisman Trophy candidate. Mensah has 15 touchdowns, no interceptions and a 92.5 QBR while completing 84.2% of his passes.
Again, the schedule is a big concern, but Mensah and the Hurricanes have looked awfully dominant against the teams they’ve faced. Miami looks like the clear cream of the crop in the ACC, and it would be shocking if the Hurricanes aren’t 12-0 or 11-1 when the regular season ends.
If voters wanted to put Miami atop the rankings, I’d 100% understand it, but I don’t think you can do so over a Georgia team that beat Alabama.
Indiana Hoosiers (6-0, No. 5): Should the defending national champions be ranked higher?
The Hoosiers haven’t lost a game since January 2025, when they fell in the College Football Playoff for the 2024 season. Curt Cignetti led Indiana to a 16-0 record and the CFP title last year, and the Hoosiers are now 33-2 under him.
I Googled him, and yes, Cignetti wins games.
The Hoosiers are 6-0 this year, and while it’s hard to doubt Cignetti and Co. given how he’s turned the program around, there are more cracks in the armor this season.
That’s to be expected after losing top-end talent to the NFL, including quarterback Fernando Mendoza. But Indiana beat Northwestern 29-23 at home a few weeks ago and needed 14 fourth-quarter points to escape Nebraska with a 20-17 win.
Those close wins could be concerning, but Northwestern is 4-1 and looks revitalized, while Nebraska is now 5-1 after Saturday’s loss. Are those just good teams that gave Indiana a tough fight?
New Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover isn’t Mendoza, and while his overall accuracy is a bit of a concern — especially when you have an elite receiver tandem in Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker — he has 17 touchdowns and no interceptions this year.
Hoover has done more than enough to lead Indiana to an unbeaten start.
I think the Nebraska and Northwestern wins could age better as the season progresses, with Northwestern now ranked No. 25 and Nebraska the fourth team outside the rankings.
Still, if Indiana were ranked No. 1 because the Hoosiers are unbeaten and the reigning national champions, I’d get it. That line of thinking has influenced rankings before.
Based on how voting has gone, it is a bit surprising that the Hoosiers are one spot below a one-loss Ohio State team.
And speaking of the Buckeyes, we’ll see how Indiana looks this Saturday when it hosts Ohio State in one of the biggest games of the weekend.
College football rankings: Three one-loss teams that could reach No. 1
There’s no way you can put a one-loss team at No. 1 at this stage of the season, but three teams could certainly claim the top ranking by the end of the regular season — or the conclusion of the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 4): Can Ohio State return to No. 1?
First and foremost, there’s Ohio State.
The No. 4 Buckeyes’ lone loss came at Texas, and they responded with four dominant wins in a row, including a victory over a ranked Iowa squad in Iowa City.
Receiver Jeremiah Smith is the best player in the sport and is my pick for the Heisman Trophy favorite at this stage. I also think Ryan Day is a great coach who will have his team ready for a CFP run.
This weekend’s game against Indiana is a big one, as the Buckeyes still have USC, Oregon, Nebraska and Michigan on the schedule.
Ohio State is one team I think could make the CFP at 9-3, but you don’t want to leave that up to chance.
Texas Longhorns (No. 7): Can Texas rebound after losing to Oklahoma?
Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns suffered the old rivalry-game setback, falling to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday and dropping to No. 7 in the rankings.
Oklahoma made the CFP last year, but the Sooners’ offense has been terrible this season. I was stunned that Texas played down to Oklahoma’s level in this contest, and I think there are more questions in Austin than Columbus, even considering Texas beat Ohio State.
Texas has Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and LSU as its next five games.
Suddenly, the Longhorns look vulnerable despite being the most recent No. 1 team in the nation.
Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 6): Could Alabama still become the No. 1 team?
There’s a world where Alabama is unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in this poll. Instead, the Crimson Tide have a loss and sit at No. 6 overall.
Alabama played a very good game against Georgia, and as noted earlier, a pair of officiating decisions went against the Crimson Tide in what was a three-point loss to an excellent Bulldogs team.
The Tide will be fine. Keelon Russell is a great young quarterback who should lead Alabama to plenty of wins the rest of this season.
Tennessee this weekend and a visit to LSU next month stand out, but Alabama looks far more like a No. 1 overall team than a team ranked in the teens or 20s, like the Volunteers and Tigers.
Alabama has more than passed the eye test so far, even with that loss to Georgia.