2026 College Football Rankings: Georgia, UCLA Rise As Ohio State Slides

Miami holds the No. 1 spot in Joel Klatt’s top 10, but the biggest shake-up came a spot below, where Ohio State fell from No. 2 to No. 9 after a 30-18 loss at USC. The Hurricanes survived against North Carolina 38-35 to stay unbeaten, while Georgia climbs three spots to No. 2 after a 27-8 win over Florida. UCLA and Utah, both 8-0, both move up in this week’s ranking. Klatt’s No. 1 and No. 4 teams meet next Saturday, when Miami visits Notre Dame. Here is how he ranked the country’s 10 best teams, on the latest episode of “The Joel Klatt Show”. Odds to make CFP: -280 (fifth) Odds to win national title: +1100 (eighth) Klatt’s thoughts: “Alabama was off this past week. Obviously, they’ve got the huge matchup against LSU on the road Saturday. They’re coming off that comeback win over A&M. “Keelon Russell has gone through some growing pains as a first-year starter, but he’s a guy that I believe in, in particular with his ability not only to throw the ball down the field but also with his legs. As a first-year starter, he has shown me great ability in both areas, and now it’s just about consistency and in a big moment, and this LSU game is going to be a big moment. They were right there with Georgia three weeks ago.” Odds to make CFP: -156 (ninth) Odds to win national title: +1000 (tied for fifth) Klatt’s thoughts: “I know it was a frustrating game. There’s no doubt, and they have to play better in a lot of areas. The effort was there, but too many mistakes, special teams, big plays on defense that they gave up. Just a couple, and they ultimately lose the game. “I still think Ohio State can fix some of those issues. In particular, [quarterback Luke] Fahey should get better. A big jump from his first start to his second start. If he’s able to do that, I think they can get some things done on the offensive side. “I’ve got them inside of my top 10. I know that the AP moved them outside of the top 10. I think that was a bit of an overreaction. I’ve got them at nine.” Odds to make CFP: +170 (tied for 14th) Odds to win national title: +9000 (tied for 16th) Klatt’s thoughts: “I’ve got Kentucky at No. 8. Will Stein’s crew is sitting on that one loss in the SEC. They control their destiny to get to the SEC Championship Game. Off this past week, they get a huge test against Tennessee. That’s going to be a monster game.” Odds to make CFP: -150 (tied for 10th) Odds to win national title: +1050 (seventh) Klatt’s thoughts: “I know everyone’s going to be upset about this, but you know what? I don’t care. I’ve got Texas at seven. If you look at their strength of schedule, their wins, if I was in the committee room I would have them up there. They took care of Mississippi State 31-3. That team’s just not the same without Kamario Taylor. “The defense was great. They only gave up three points. Linebacker Rasheem Biles was terrific. He had three sacks and a strip sack that led to a scoop and score. The offense was fine. That’s a joke we have on our crew: If you say something is fine, it means it’s bad. But it was fine. “They had 280 total yards. Arch [Manning] took five sacks in that game. They’ve got to get better than that. They’ve got to figure out how to run the football first, like they were able to do in stretches against Ole Miss.” Odds to make CFP: -240 (sixth) Odds to win national title: +3000 (10th) Klatt’s thoughts: “At No. 6 I’ve got Utah. They ran all over Cincinnati, 268 yards on the ground, six per carry. They were up 42-6 at halftime. That’s a week after Cincinnati beat Texas Tech. But what do we know about college football? “Nobody wins a big game, an emotional game, then comes back and plays well the next week. By the way, Holy War this week! Boom, love that.” Odds to make CFP: -190 (seventh) Odds to win national title: +6500 (12th) Klatt’s thoughts: “At No. 5, I’ve got UCLA. Nevada is not a great opponent, but they shut them out 27-0. Nobody has scored 17 points on this defense since September. They lead the country with 26 takeaways. They’re playing great defense. They’re second in the country with a plus-15 turnover margin. They had plus-four against Nevada on Saturday. I know it wasn’t a huge day for them offensively, but they lead the Big Ten in rushing.” Odds to make CFP: -550 (fourth) Odds to win national title: +550 (second) Klatt’s thoughts: “Number four is Notre Dame. That’s my last team that I’m going to reveal right there. Slow start against Navy. They trailed in the first half. Didn’t love it. Classic look-ahead, and I can’t wait for that game [against Miami] either.” Odds to make CFP: -1000 (third) Odds to win national title: +1000 (tied for fifth) Klatt’s thoughts: “So where do I have Indiana? If you tell me that you’re going to maximize Becker and Marsh, I think this is a top-five team. I think it’s a top-three team. “I think Indiana is No. 3 in the country right now … They were banged up, and they were trying to figure it out on defense. They found a way. I don’t think they played great defense. There were a couple of runs that Minnesota was able to get loose on, but they made the plays necessary. It’s one of those defenses that I rely on, and I feel like I can rely on if I’m watching that from afar.” Odds to make CFP: -6000 (tied for first) Odds to win national title: +350 (first) Klatt’s thoughts: “[Georgia is] No. 2, guys. I think that’s pretty easy. I tried in my head to make an argument for why they should be the number one team in the country, and I couldn’t do it. “What’s different about them from a lot of these SEC teams that have two losses is their strength of schedule. Georgia’s strength of schedule is actually not anywhere near what a Texas or an Alabama strength of schedule is. It’s not even close to what Ohio State’s strength of schedule is. “I’m looking at this through the lens of the committee, and I’m looking at Miami, and I’m like, ‘Man, that strength of schedule is just no good. Aren’t we going to reward good wins and quality schedules?’ I tried in my head, but I just couldn’t do it. So Georgia is going to be at number two.” Odds to make CFP: -6000 (tied for first) Odds to win national title: +620 (third) Klatt’s thoughts: “After last weekend, Miami is number one. I think you could have made an argument for Ohio State if they would have beaten USC. They did not. Miami is undefeated. They go up there at number one, even though their strength of schedule has not been great. I do love that offense.”