College Football Playoff rankings: Updated 12-team bracket revealed in second CFP poll of 2026

Week 10 brought some carnage in college football, even beyond No. 1 Miami's road loss to Notre Dame.

No. 10 Ole Miss was bludgeoned by No. 2 Georgia, setting the stage for the Bulldogs to ascend to No. 1 in this week's College Football Playoff rankings, while No. 6 Kentucky's stay in the top 10 was short-lived after a blowout loss at Tennessee.

Ohio State and LSU, meanwhile, took themselves out of the playoff conversation, at least for the time being, with home losses and paid for it in Tuesday's newest rankings.

The biggest win outside of South Bend might have belonged to Utah, which won the "Holy War" against in-state rival BYU to remain undefeated and move one giant step closer to a playoff berth.

The Sporting News tracked the live reveal of the second College Football Playoff rankings of the season. See the newest bracket below.

College Football Playoff rankings 2026

Who are the top 12 teams in second CFP bracket poll?

Georgia jumped up to No. 1, while Notre Dame jumped from No. 11 to No. 5 after a win after previously top-ranked Miami. Indiana, meanwhile, slid five spots while on a bye week.

Because Boise State would be in the field as the Group of 5 representative, Kentucky would be the last team in and Texas Tech would be the first team out.

Next four

Rest of the top 25

MORE:How new 24-team playoff will work in 2027

College Football Playoff bracket 2026

Here's what the current bracket looks like:

SN

How College Football Playoff format works in 2026

The same as the last two years, the CFP format in 2026 will be a 12-team field. However, there are changes to the seeding this season.

In a tweak from previous years, automatic bids are given to the four Power Four conference champions (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) as well as the highest-ranked team from the remaining FBS conferences. Previously, the five highest-ranked conference champions — regardless of conference — received automatic bids, which has now changed.Notre Dame can also receive an automatic bid if it finishes in the top-12 of the rankings.

The remaining seven spots are at-large bids, filled by the best teams available in the rankings.

The four highest-ranked teams — whether a conference champion or not — will get the top-four seeds and first-round byes, while the remaining eight teams play in the first round.

Here's a look at how the College Football Playoff seeding would play out based on Tuesday's rankings:

First round

• No. 1 Georgia (bye)
• No. 2 Utah (bye)
• No. 3 Alabama (bye)
• No. 4 UCLA (bye)
• No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Notre Dame
• No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Texas
• No. 10 BYU at No. 7 Miami
• No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Tennessee

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8/9
• No. 2 Utah vs. No. 7/10
• No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 6/11
• No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 5/12

MORE:Picks, predictions against the spread for Week 11

College Football Playoff predictions

Here are The Sporting News' CFP bracket projections for Week 11, according to Bill Bender:

College Football Playoff rankings release schedule 2026

College Football Playoff rankings shows will continue each Tuesday until the final weekend of the season, when the bracket will be revealed on Sunday, Dec. 6. The full schedule is listed below.