Move Over Texas: New College Football Contender Takes No. 1 Projected Ranking

A couple weeks ago, Texas changed the landscape entirely by beating top-ranked Ohio State and took the No. 1 spot in the college football rankings for itself, but a different SEC powerhouse occupies the best overall seed in our new playoff projection.

Just one full month into the 2026 college football season, we’re a long way from knowing what the selectors will think about everything, but there’s also enough evidence from this year’s national championship contenders to get an early idea of who sits where.

Who sits in that No. 1 seed? It may not be the top team in the AP poll right now…

No. 1 Georgia

SEC champion. Arguably the most impressive overall roster in the SEC right now, the Bulldogs move into our favored position to win the conference championship over Texas. Quality of competition is a legitimate critique so far, but Georgia has done what you expect an elite team to do in that situation.

Move Over Texas: New College Football Contender Takes No. 1 Playoff Ranking — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No. 2 Ohio State

Big Ten champion. Games at Iowa, Indiana, and USC, and home dates against Oregon and Michigan will give us more information about who the Buckeyes really are, but there’s enough evidence already, even with a 1-point loss at Texas in a game they led by 20 at one point, to still name this team the class of the Big Ten.

No. 3 Miami

ACC champion. Darian Mensah is hitting on nearly 90 percent of his throws for a seemingly-unstoppable Hurricanes offense that ranks third nationally. Two interesting tests await in matchups against Clemson and Florida State.

No. 4 Notre Dame

“They ain’t played nobody” could credibly be used against the Fighting Irish, but their big win against Wisconsin at least looks a little better after the Badgers upset Penn State at Happy Valley a week ago. The Golden Domers could be tested at North Carolina, and definitely will be at BYU in a couple weeks.

No. 5 Texas

SEC runner-up. It’s hard to complain about the Longhorns being No. 1 in the AP poll after beating the Buckeyes and then No. 14 Tennessee on the road, but those wins also revealed some puzzling concerns around Arch Manning’s consistency and issues with penalties, which could spell trouble once SEC championship time comes around.

No. 6 Indiana

Big Ten runner-up. The reigning champs maybe weren’t going to be as dominant as they were a year ago, but playing close against Northwestern a week ago was notable. The Hoosiers host Ohio State on Oct. 17 in a game playoff selectors will be watching carefully.

No. 7 Florida

Jon Sumrall insists the Gators aren’t back yet, but a very convincing win against top-five Ole Miss last week behind a 300-yard plus rushing performance is enough to realistically put this team squarely in the middle of the playoff picture until proven otherwise.

No. 8 Alabama

Keelon Russell has done his part as a five-star quarterback prospect for this Crimson Tide offense. This week’s trip to Mississippi State and its own star dual-threat quarterback in Kamario Taylor will give us more proof that Bama is or isn’t worthy of playoff consideration.

No. 9 Texas Tech

Big 12 champion. This offense hasn’t played up to expectations given the talent they have in the backfield, but they also have the best win in the Big 12 after beating Houston, which gives them a slight edge over BYU.

No. 10 Iowa

Staying undefeated by beating Michigan at the Big House with a last-second touchdown forces us to look at the Hawkeyes in a different light. Beat Ohio State this week, and the selectors will be forced to, as well. Even a loss doesn’t ruin their chances, provided there aren’t any more.

No. 11 Ole Miss

It’s easy to lose sight of the Rebels after allowing Florida to score 52 points on them, but they still have wins against LSU and Louisville and key matchups against Texas and Georgia to come where they can make a statement.

No. 12 Boise State

Group of Six selection. The Broncos getting ranked in the AP poll this week fortify their position as the best non-power school in the field after beating up on Western Michigan, another quality win on a schedule that also includes a win against Memphis.

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