BYU received a No. 9 ranking in the first release of the 2026 College Football Playoff rankings revealed by the CFP selection committee on Tuesday, according to a November 3 report.
The 7-1 Cougars have received a top-10 rating in the initial CFP assessments for a third straight season.
The Big 12 features five teams in the initial rankings, including No. 3 Utah and No. 9 BYU in the top 10. The two rivals are scheduled to play this Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Other Big 12 teams ranked by the CFP include Texas Tech at No. 15, Houston at No. 17 and Arizona at No. 22. BYU holds a 2-0 record against teams in the CFP rankings this season, including wins over No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 22 Arizona.
The top five in the CFP rankings includes Miami (8-0) of the ACC at No. 1, No. 2 Georgia (7-1) of the SEC, No. 3 Utah (8-0) of the Big 12, No. 4 Indiana (8-1) of the Big Ten, and No. 5 Alabama (6-2) of the SEC.
Following the top five are Kentucky (7-1) and Texas (6-2) of the SEC at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, followed by No. 8 UCLA (8-0) from the Big Ten, No. 9 BYU (7-1) of the Big 12 and No. 10 Ole Miss (6-2) from the SEC.
The Cougars are currently ranked No. 7 by The Associated Press and No. 8 by the AFCA. Last year, the Cougars were included in all six of the CFP rankings, receiving rankings of No. 7, No. 12, No. 11, No. 11, No. 11 and No. 12.
In 2024, the Cougars were also ranked in all six CFP releases at No. 9, No. 6, No. 14, No. 19, No. 18 and No. 17.
The remaining CFP rankings include No. 13 Tennessee (6-2), No. 14 LSU (6-2), No. 15 Texas Tech (7-1), No. 16 Wake Forest (7-1), No. 17 Houston (6-2), No. 18 Missouri (6-2), No. 19 Iowa (6-2), No. 20 USC (7-2), No. 21 South Carolina (5-3), No. 22 Arizona (6-2), No. 23 Oregon (5-3), No. 24 Florida (5-3) and No. 25 Boise State (7-1).
The SEC has 10 teams in the CFP rankings, including five in the top 10. The Big Ten has six teams, the Big 12 has five, and the ACC has two, while independents and the Pac-12 have one apiece.
