CFP Rankings Under Fire as Robert Griffin III Reveals How Top 25 Should Have Looked

Robert Griffin III tore into the College Football Playoff selection committee’s first top 25 of 2026 and posted his own rankings, which drop Alabama, Ole Miss and Ohio State out of the top 12 entirely.

The committee released its first rankings Tuesday night with unbeaten Miami at No. 1 and two-loss Alabama at No. 5. Griffin, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, fired back on X: “The College Football Playoff Rankings are TERRIBLE AND MAKE ZERO SENSE.”

How RG3’s top 12 compares

The College Football Playoff Rankings are TERRIBLE AND MAKE ZERO SENSE.

Here is what the CFP Rankings should have been. pic.twitter.com/ZaeLfJYLq4
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) November 4, 2026

Griffin kept Miami at No. 1 and moved the other two unbeaten FBS teams up behind the Hurricanes, putting 8-0 Utah second and 8-0 UCLA third. Georgia, which lost to unranked Auburn, slides from No. 2 to No. 4 in his version.

The committee put UCLA eighth after the Bruins lost quarterback Nico Iamaleava to a season-ending knee injury in a 17-15 win at Oregon. Bob Chesney’s team has kept winning with senior Ty Dieffenbach under center, and Griffin’s ranking rewards that.

BYU and Notre Dame land at No. 5 and No. 6 on Griffin’s list. The Cougars beat the Fighting Irish 28-24 two weeks ago, but the committee placed Notre Dame 11th as the last team in the field. Committee chair Hunter Yurachek called Notre Dame “a very, very good football team” but added, “when you look at Notre Dame’s schedule and the wins they have versus the teams ahead of them, they don’t have that signature win right now.”

Indiana falls from No. 4 to No. 7 in Griffin’s order. The defending national champions’ only loss came to Ohio State, but the Hoosiers haven’t beaten a team in the committee’s top 25. SI’s CFP rankings prediction ahead of Tuesday’s reveal also had Indiana sliding.

Why did Griffin leave Alabama out?

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer is seen prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alabama is 6-2 and ranked eight spots ahead of Tennessee, which beat the Crimson Tide by 16 points. Griffin put the Volunteers at No. 12 and left Alabama off his list.

Yurachek defended the placement on the rankings show. “Yes, they had that loss to Tennessee,” he said. “But Tennessee doesn’t have that same level of quality wins. Yes, they beat Alabama, but you have to go deeper.”

Griffin made a similar case last December when Alabama earned a playoff spot over Notre Dame and BYU, saying, “If you’re going to punish BYU, punish Alabama.”

He also moved Texas from No. 7 to No. 11. The Longhorns own wins over Ohio State, Ole Miss and Tennessee, but they lost to Oklahoma and Florida. The committee’s top 12 includes five SEC teams, while Griffin’s includes four.

Wake Forest, Texas Tech gain support

Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez (3) looks to pass against the Virginia Cavaliers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Griffin ranked Wake Forest 10th after the committee slotted the 7-1 Demon Deacons at No. 16. Jake Dickert’s team has won five straight, including a 51-7 rout of Virginia on Saturday, and its only loss came against Miami. The Demon Deacons also beat their last four opponents by an average score of 47-8.

Texas Tech jumped from No. 15 to No. 9 on Griffin’s list. The Red Raiders beat Arizona 34-26 on Saturday behind three touchdowns from Tommy Castellanos in his first start and 175 rushing yards from J’Koby Williams. Lubbock’s lone loss came the week before, 37-24 at Cincinnati.

Saturday’s slate will test several of Griffin’s arguments, with No. 1 Miami at No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 9 BYU at No. 3 Utah, No. 5 Alabama at No. 14 LSU and No. 6 Kentucky at No. 13 Tennessee. The committee releases its second rankings Tuesday, Nov. 10 on ESPN.

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