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    College football 2026 tracker: AP poll, big games and CFP race

    In the latest AP Top 25 (4 October 2026), Texas was No. 1 with 61 first-place votes, ahead of Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State.[1] Defending national champion Indiana won at Nebraska on 10 October for its 22nd straight victory.[2][3] Oklahoma upset No. 1 Texas 27-24 in the Red River Rivalry on 10 October, and No. 21 UCLA won 17-15 at No. 13 Oregon.[4][5] The CFP committee's first rankings come on 3 November, and the 12-team bracket is set on 6 December.[6]

    Editor reviewedUpdated DevelopingSports

    What we know

    • Texas led the 4 October AP poll with 61 first-place votes[1]
    • Indiana, the defending champion, has won 22 straight games[3]
    • Notre Dame is 6-0 with a 16-game winning streak[9]
    • South Carolina beat No. 16 Florida 38-19[8]
    • Oklahoma beat No. 1 Texas 27-24, Texas's first loss of the season[4]
    • No. 21 UCLA beat No. 13 Oregon 17-15 to stay unbeaten[5]
    • First CFP rankings: 3 November; Selection Day: 6 December[6]
    • The CFP stays at 12 teams for 2026-27[20]

    What we don't know yet

    • Final scores of Georgia-Alabama, USC-Penn State and Boise State-Fresno State on 10 October; the games were in progress or not yet started when this page was last updated
    • How long UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava will be out with the leg injury he suffered at Oregon
    • How the next AP poll, after the 10 October games, will reorder the top 10
    • Whether the CFP expands to 24 teams in a future season, and on what terms with ESPN
    Story status

    Story status

    State
    developing
    Started
    2026-01-23
    Timeline entries
    9
    Last entry

    Timeline data (JSON)

    This tracker follows the 2026 FBS college football season on the way to the 12-team College Football Playoff. It uses the latest AP Top 25, released on 4 October 2026.[1] The CFP Selection Committee does not publish its own rankings until 3 November.[6] It was last updated at about 00:00 UTC on 11 October 2026 (8 p.m. ET on 10 October), while the evening games of 10 October were still in progress or not yet started. Those results are pending.

    AP Top 25: the top 10 (4 October 2026)

    RankTeam
    1Texas (61 first-place votes)[1]
    2Georgia[1]
    3Notre Dame[1]
    4Miami[1]
    5Ohio State[1]
    6Alabama[1]
    7Indiana[1]
    8BYU[1]
    9Ole Miss[1]
    10LSU[1]

    The biggest moves that week came in the SEC. Florida fell eight places to No. 16, Missouri rose 11 places to No. 14, and Pittsburgh entered the poll at No. 25.[7]

    Results from 10 October

    • No. 7 Indiana 20, Nebraska 17. The defending champions came from behind in Lincoln to reach 6-0. It was their 22nd straight win.[2][3]
    • South Carolina 38, No. 16 Florida 19. The Gamecocks won in Gainesville and ended an eight-game SEC losing streak.[8]
    • No. 3 Notre Dame 58, Stanford 7. The Irish moved to 6-0 with a 16-game winning streak.[9]
    • No. 14 Missouri 27, Texas A&M 6. Jamal Roberts ran for 222 yards.[10]
    • Oklahoma 27, No. 1 Texas 24. In the 122nd Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl, Tate Sandell kicked a field goal as time expired. Texas quarterback Arch Manning threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, and the Longhorns lost for the first time this season.[4] Texas had won the previous two meetings and led the series 65-51-5 going in.[11]
    • No. 21 UCLA 17, No. 13 Oregon 15. UCLA stayed unbeaten at 5-0. The game had 10 turnovers, seven of them by Oregon, who fell to 3-2. UCLA starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava left with a lower-leg injury late in the first half and did not return.[5]

    Evening games: results pending

    • Georgia at Alabama. Both teams came in unbeaten for the evening game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama had won three of the four meetings since Georgia’s win in the 2022 CFP title game.[12][13] The result is pending.
    • Also pending: USC at Penn State (the annual Whiteout) and Boise State at Fresno State.[14]

    The road to the playoff

    The 2026-27 CFP is a 12-team bracket. It takes the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions, the best-ranked team from the other FBS conferences, and the next seven highest-ranked teams.[15] Notre Dame gets in if it finishes in the top 12.[16] The first round is on 18-19 December, and the title game is on 25 January 2027 in Las Vegas.[17][18] On 10 October the CFP said talks with ESPN about a possible 24-team playoff were continuing after their exclusive negotiating window ended.[19] Our explainer on how the College Football Playoff works covers seeding and byes.

    Timeline

    9 confirmed

    1. confirmed

      CFP says ESPN exclusive window ended; 24-team talks continue[19]

    2. confirmed

      Indiana edges Nebraska 20-17 for 22nd straight win[2][3]

    3. confirmed

      South Carolina stuns No. 16 Florida 38-19[8]

    4. confirmed

      Notre Dame routs Stanford 58-7; Missouri beats Texas A&M[9][10]

    5. confirmed

      Oklahoma stuns No. 1 Texas 27-24 on last-second field goal[4]

      Tate Sandell's kick as time expired followed two fourth-quarter interceptions by Arch Manning. It was Texas's first loss of the season.

    6. confirmed

      No. 21 UCLA wins 17-15 at No. 13 Oregon to stay unbeaten[5]

      Oregon lost seven of the game's 10 turnovers and fell to 3-2. UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava left injured late in the first half.

    7. confirmed

      AP poll keeps Texas No. 1; Florida falls, Missouri rises[1][7]

    8. confirmed

      New auto-bid rules and bowl-path choice confirmed for 2026-27[15][22]

    9. confirmed

      CFP keeps 12-team format for 2026-27[20][21]

      The SEC and Big Ten could not agree on an expansion size.

    Next in the crash course

    Questions readers ask

    Who is No. 1 in college football?

    Texas was No. 1 in the AP Top 25 released on 4 October 2026, with 61 first-place votes. A new poll is due after the 10 October games.[1]

    Who won the last college football national championship?

    Indiana won the College Football Playoff for the 2025 season, and had won 22 straight games as of 10 October 2026.[3]

    When are the first College Football Playoff rankings?

    The CFP Selection Committee releases the first of six rankings on 3 November 2026. The final rankings and bracket come on Selection Day, 6 December.[6]

    Who won Texas vs Oklahoma in 2026?

    Oklahoma won 27-24 at the Cotton Bowl on 10 October 2026, with Tate Sandell kicking a field goal as time expired. It was the first loss of the season for Texas, who were No. 1 in the AP poll.[4][1]

    Is the College Football Playoff still 12 teams?

    Yes, for 2026-27. The CFP said on 10 October 2026 that talks with ESPN on a possible 24-team playoff were continuing.[20][19]

    Sources

    · 22 claims from 6 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      The AP Top 25 released on 4 October 2026 ranked Texas No. 1 with 61 first-place votes, followed by Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State, Alabama, Indiana, BYU, Ole Miss and LSU. confirmedas of 2026-10-04

    2. [2]

      No. 7 Indiana came from behind to beat Nebraska 20-17 in Lincoln on 10 October 2026, improving to 6-0. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    3. [3]

      Indiana won the College Football Playoff national championship for the 2025 season and, as of 10 October 2026, had won 22 straight games. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    4. [4]

      Oklahoma beat No. 1 Texas 27-24 at the Cotton Bowl on 10 October 2026 with a field goal by Tate Sandell as time expired, after two fourth-quarter interceptions thrown by Texas quarterback Arch Manning. It was Texas's first loss of the season. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    5. [5]

      No. 21 UCLA won 17-15 at No. 13 Oregon on 10 October 2026 to stay unbeaten at 5-0. Oregon committed seven of the game's 10 turnovers and fell to 3-2. UCLA starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava left with a lower-leg injury late in the first half and did not return. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    6. [6]

      The CFP Selection Committee will release the first of six weekly rankings on 3 November 2026, and its final rankings and the 12-team bracket on Selection Day, Sunday 6 December. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    7. [7]

      In the 4 October AP poll, Florida dropped eight places to No. 16, Missouri rose 11 places to No. 14, and Pittsburgh entered at No. 25 in place of Kentucky. confirmedas of 2026-10-04

    8. [8]

      South Carolina beat No. 16 Florida 38-19 in Gainesville on 10 October 2026, ending an eight-game SEC losing streak. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    9. [9]

      No. 3 Notre Dame beat Stanford 58-7 on 10 October 2026 to reach 6-0 and extend its winning streak to 16 games. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    10. [10]

      No. 14 Missouri beat Texas A&M 27-6 on 10 October 2026, with Jamal Roberts rushing for 222 yards. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    11. [11]

      Texas and Oklahoma met at the Cotton Bowl on 10 October 2026 in the 122nd Red River Rivalry game; Texas had won the previous two meetings and led the series 65-51-5. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

      • Week Six Storylines · College Football Playoff · 2026-10-07 · Red River section (retrieved 2026-10-11)
    12. [12]

      Undefeated Georgia was scheduled to play undefeated Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium on the evening of 10 October 2026; Alabama had won three of the four meetings since the 2022 CFP title game. confirmedas of 2026-10-08

    13. [13]

      Alabama beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime in the 2018 CFP National Championship, and Georgia beat Alabama 33-18 in the 2022 title game. confirmedas of 2026-10-08

    14. [14]

      Other notable games on 10 October 2026 included USC at Penn State for the annual Whiteout, unbeaten UCLA at Oregon, and Boise State at Fresno State, both 4-1 and unbeaten in Pac-12 play. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

      • Week Six Storylines · College Football Playoff · 2026-10-07 · Penn State section (retrieved 2026-10-11)
    15. [15]

      From 2026-27, the CFP field is the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions, the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt, and the next seven highest-ranked teams. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    16. [16]

      Notre Dame, an independent, is included in the College Football Playoff if it is ranked in the top 12 of the final CFP rankings. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    17. [17]

      The 2026-27 CFP first round is on 18-19 December 2026, the quarterfinals on 30 December (Fiesta) and 1 January (Cotton, Rose, Peach), and the semifinals on 14 January (Orange) and 15 January 2027 (Sugar). confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    18. [18]

      The 2027 CFP National Championship is scheduled for Monday 25 January 2027 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    19. [19]

      On 10 October 2026 the CFP said its exclusive 30-day negotiating window with ESPN ended on 9 October, and that talks on media rights for a potential 24-team playoff were continuing. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    20. [20]

      On 23 January 2026 the CFP Management Committee, made up of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director, kept the 12-team format for the 2026-27 season. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    21. [21]

      The Associated Press reported in January 2026 that the SEC pushed for a 16-team playoff with an emphasis on at-large bids, while the Big Ten pushed for up to 24 teams with multiple automatic qualifiers per conference. confirmedas of 2026-01-23

    22. [22]

      With conference bowl tie-ins removed from 2026-27, the top three CFP seeds choose their bowl path in rank order. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    Revision history (2)
    1. Page created with the 4 October AP poll and 10 October results available at the time.
    2. Added final scores for Oklahoma-Texas (27-24) and UCLA-Oregon (17-15). Georgia-Alabama, USC-Penn State and Boise State-Fresno State were still in progress or not started.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Oct 12, 2026.

    Cite this page

    "College football 2026 tracker: AP poll, big games and CFP race." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/events/college-football-2026-tracker

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