College Football Playoff Rankings: Notre Dame got hosed, while Indiana got the benefit of the doubt
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The results are in. On Tuesday voters went to the voting booth, and delivered a resounding message to the nation.
Miami is the top college football team in the nation.
Listen, the window for Election Day jokes is roughly 24 hours and you top believe we are going to take advantage of that window.
Tuesday not only marked the midterm elections in the United States, but the launch of the first set of rankings from the selection committee for the College Football Playoff. Miami indeed checked in as the top team in the nation, which was not a surprise, but there were surprises all over the rest of the rankings.
Here are the biggest takeaways.
A message sent to Notre Dame
A year ago, the Fighting Irish were left out of the College Football Playoff despite finishing with a 10-2 record. Those two losses came at the hands of Miami and Texas A&M early in the season, and the team’s ten win closing stretch was not enough to earn a berth.
That led to much consternation, a withdrawal from bowl game consideration, and a chance to the College Football Playoff selection process. Starting this season, Notre Dame receives an automatic bid if the Fighting Irish are ranked inside the top 12 of the final rankings.
Tuesday, the Fighting Irish debuted at No. 11, and with a clear message from the committee:
Win out.
This weekend, Notre Dame hosts No. 1 Miami in South Bend. A win in that game likely propels the Fighting Irish up the rankings, while a loss would drop the team to two losses on the season, likely dooming Notre Dame to another season on the outside looking in. While there are many who question Notre Dame’s debut at No. 11 in this season’s poll — their lone loss came at BYU in a game that ended in controversial fashion — selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said on Tuesday night that while the committee is “impressed” with Notre Dame, they lack a “signature win.”
CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek on why Notre Dame comes in at No. 11 in their initial rankings:
— Bruce Straughan (@bruce_straughan) November 4, 2026
“They don't have that signature win right now."
I mean we could say that about a lot of teams in the Top 12! pic.twitter.com/kHrApHSLzD
A win Saturday, it seems, would qualify.
So signature wins matter, until they don’t
Notre Dame fans were not alone Tuesday night in wondering just what, exactly, qualifies as a “signature win” in the minds of the committee.
After all, detractors of the rankings immediately pointed to Indiana, who checked in at No. 4 in the rankings. If the College Football Playoff began today, the Hoosiers would have a bye.
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