CFB TOP 25 Independent, data-driven college football rankings
Independent college football rankings

2026 College Football Top 25

CFP Semifinals snapshot. Every FBS team is evaluated with the same points-based in-season model.

2026 Top 25 — CFP Semifinals

Top 25 • CFP Semifinals

RK TeamConference RecordSOSChange Points
1 Alabama SEC 5-0 0.783 0 16.65
2 Texas SEC 4-0 0.917 0 14.20
3 Miami ACC 4-0 0.625 0 12.82
4 Notre Dame FBS Independents 5-0 0.600 0 12.65
5 Pittsburgh ACC 5-0 0.633 0 10.29
6 Nebraska B1G 5-0 0.600 0 10.09
7 Ohio State B1G 4-1 0.650 0 9.83
8 UCLA B1G 4-0 0.458 0 9.81
9 Florida SEC 4-1 0.900 0 9.78
10 Georgia SEC 5-0 0.517 0 9.58
11 Missouri SEC 4-1 0.750 0 9.30
12 North Dakota State Mountain West 5-0 0.540 0 9.24
13 Indiana B1G 4-0 0.625 0 9.20
14 James Madison Sun Belt 5-0 0.517 0 9.11
15 Mississippi State SEC 4-1 0.700 0 9.04
16 Utah B12 4-0 0.500 0 8.09
17 South Florida American Athletic 4-0 0.629 0 7.90
18 Duke ACC 4-0 0.517 0 7.79
19 Cincinnati B12 4-0 0.625 0 7.63
20 Oregon B1G 3-1 0.729 0 7.43
21 BYU B12 3-0 0.556 0 7.05
22 Texas Tech B12 4-0 0.562 0 6.89
23 LSU SEC 3-1 0.708 0 6.83
24 Boise State Pac-12 3-1 0.804 0 6.70
25 Wake Forest ACC 4-1 0.550 0 6.19
1558 completed games evaluated138 FBS teams included • Change vs. CFP Quarterfinals / New Year's Bowls
About this snapshot

What the ranking is trying to measure

The in-season CFB Top 25 is a résumé-oriented ranking. It evaluates what teams have accomplished through the selected stage, including results, opponent quality, schedule strength and game context. Every FBS team goes through the same scoring process, so the ranking can be revisited week by week without changing the rules to fit the latest result.

Early-season rankings naturally carry more uncertainty because teams have played fewer games and opponent résumés are still developing. As the schedule fills in, the model relies progressively more on observed results.

See how the points system works →
Top 10 Offenses
  1. 1. Miami51.8 PPG
  2. 2. Georgia51.4 PPG
  3. 3. Alabama49.6 PPG
  4. 4. Oregon47.5 PPG
  5. 5. Florida46.2 PPG
  6. 6. James Madison44.8 PPG
  7. 7. UCLA44.8 PPG
  8. 8. BYU44.0 PPG
  9. 9. Nebraska43.6 PPG
  10. 10. Indiana43.5 PPG
Top 10 Defenses
  1. 1. Miami9.0 allowed
  2. 2. Indiana9.8 allowed
  3. 3. North Dakota State9.8 allowed
  4. 4. Utah10.2 allowed
  5. 5. New Mexico10.6 allowed
  6. 6. Duke11.0 allowed
  7. 7. Notre Dame11.8 allowed
  8. 8. TCU12.5 allowed
  9. 9. Ohio State12.6 allowed
  10. 10. Iowa12.6 allowed
Games Between Current Top 25 Teams
WeekGameDateSite
1Boise State 27 @ Oregon 34Sep 05, 2026Home-site
2Ohio State 23 @ Texas 24Sep 12, 2026Home-site
3Miami 33 @ Wake Forest 20Sep 18, 2026Home-site
4Missouri 24 @ Mississippi State 31Sep 26, 2026Home-site
5Alabama 56 @ Mississippi State 23Oct 03, 2026Home-site
5Florida 17 @ Missouri 45Oct 03, 2026Home-site
Current Top 25 — Record vs Each Other
Alabama1-0
Texas1-0
Miami1-0
Oregon1-0
Missouri1-1
Mississippi State1-1
Notre Dame0-0
Pittsburgh0-0
Nebraska0-0
UCLA0-0
Georgia0-0
North Dakota State0-0
Indiana0-0
James Madison0-0
Utah0-0
South Florida0-0
Duke0-0
Cincinnati0-0
BYU0-0
Texas Tech0-0
LSU0-0
Ohio State0-1
Florida0-1
Boise State0-1
Wake Forest0-1
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