Top 25 College Football Rankings: Mike's Week 11 Standings

November 9, 2026

Mike's top 25 college football teams for Week 11 of the 2026 college football season. His complete top 25 rankings, including Ohio State, Texas, Indiana, and more.

The Holy War was a top-10 matchup for the first time. One of those teams fell. Miami-Notre Dame was also a top-10 loss for one of the teams. There was more open hostility by the Zebras against a team unfortunate enough to face a big name. The chaotic 2026 season rolled on with many more ranked losses this week.

How mad is the CFP (and Big Ten, for that matter) going to be when it's UCLA that represents the conference instead of Ohio State or Oregon? It's not just about conferences. It's about brands.

Part of the reason that the CFP let Miami in last year is that that's what the ACC wanted anyway. Asinine tiebreakers can pay off! We don't have 12 good teams this year, but we have to pretend like we do so the SEC gets over-represented and ESPN gets PAID!

25. Boise State (8-1)

Previous ranking: 24 (⇓1)

Result: W 64-38 at Colorado State

Scoring 64 on Colorado State is like scoring 24 on a normal team. Still, Boise is beating the teams they are supposed to beat.

GET READY BOISE, WE'RE COMING TO YOUR CITY‼️

We're heading west for a Pac-12 showdown that could have CFP implications between Oregon State and Boise State ? https://t.co/o9XzuwoKyv

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 8, 2026

The tilt against Oregon State this weekend only has CFP implications for one team now, but it's still a giant game for the Broncos. If they win, they are likely in for the second time in three years.

24. Duke (7-2)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 41-3 at North Carolina State

The loss to North Carolina was a rough one (so was the loss to Georgia Tech), but since then, Duke has outscored their three opponents 107-21. It's hard to reconcile those bad losses, but wins in Champaign and Charlottesville help.

23. South Carolina (6-3)

Previous ranking: 23 ⇔

Result: W 17-9 vs. Texas A&M

Many will be upset about this, but wins in the Swamp and over Tennessee matter more than any wins Northwestern or LSU has. You want quality losses? South Carolina has those against Kentucky and Alabama.

22. Wisconsin (6-3)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 31-10 vs. Rutgers

Wisconsin's losses are all to top-15 teams (Notre Dame, UCLA, and Iowa). The win over USC is better than any of LSU's wins. All three of Wisconsin's remaining games are winnable. Maybe they aren't out of this yet.

21. Ohio State (6-3)

Previous ranking: 13 (⇓8)

Result: L 41-28 vs. Oregon

What do we do with Ohio State? Wins over Indiana and Iowa, both on the road, are strong. The loss to USC was dreadful. Losing to Oregon by two touchdowns at home (also to a backup quarterback and without a starting running back) was somehow worse.

There’s a reality where McClain catches this and Ohio State wins by 14+ https://t.co/UE3U8ZJZlb

— Woody (@woodyVSworld) November 8, 2026

Did that play change the trajectory of  Ohio State's season? Maybe not, but the fake punt on the next play likely did. There's enough blame to go around. It's strange how Ohio State is imploding without Julian Sayin.

This version of Ohio State likely doesn't deserve to be ranked, but what can we do? It's not like the Iowa and Indiana games didn't happen.

20. Arizona (7-2)

Previous ranking: 19 (⇓1)

Result: W 29-28 vs. TCU

They needed a miracle to beat TCU on Friday. Cincinnati, West Virginia, and TCU are solid wins, but they lost both chances at relevance against BYU and Texas Tech. The one against Utah this weekend is a monster.

19. USC (7-2)

Previous ranking: 17 (⇓2)

Result: BYE

We found out just how good (or bad, as the case may be) Ohio State is without Julian Sayin. USC still doesn't have that great a win. If they beat Indiana, then we'll talk.

18. Mississippi (6-3)

Previous ranking: 14 (⇓4)

Result: L 42-7 at (2) Georgia

Ole Miss didn't belong anywhere near that field with Georgia. Trinidad Chambliss is still a good story, but he was what he was last year because of the players around him. This year, Kewan Lacy can't stay healthy, and the defense isn't nearly as good.

17. Houston (7-2)

Previous ranking: 20 (⇑3)

Result: W 31-24 vs. Cincinnati

Houston's losses are to the top two teams in the Big 12. That doesn't mean much to college football casuals, but it should. Houston's close wins over Oklahoma State and Cincinnati are keeping them in the Big 12 race.

16. Oregon (6-3)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 41-28 at (13) Ohio State

Well...look who's back! Dante Moore isn't, but Dylan Raiola has found his rhythm in the Oregon offense.

We can poke holes in the Oklahoma State loss or in losing to UCLA while getting seven takeaways, but the fact is that Oregon has wins over USC and Ohio State on the road. The Illinois loss was painted as a bad one, but the Illini are still 6-3.

15. Kentucky (7-2)

Previous ranking: 8 (⇓7)

Result: L 34-6 at (15) Tennessee

Kentucky has proven that they are firmly in the second tier of the SEC. They beat LSU, but got smoked by Alabama and Tennessee. That shows that the gap in the SEC between the top and the middle is larger than in recent years.

14. Missouri (6-3)

Previous ranking: 16 (⇑2)

Result: L 34-20 vs. (12) Texas

Would Missouri have won if they didn't have seven officials and a conference against them? We'll never know, but I'm not going to knock Missouri for losing an unfair fight. They outplayed Texas.

Still one of the weirdest plays that SEC needs to explain. Arch is hit on a 3rd and 10 and they rule it a fumble *forward* which Texas picks up and gets a 1st down. A few plays later, Texas scores a touchdown to tie it... https://t.co/SiC5KEomnX

— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) November 7, 2026

That play is just one of many, but it is the most egregious. This is going to continue until there are consequences. I'm not talking about just the officials on the field. I'm talking about the conferences.

If only the NCAA had a governing body that cared about the integrity of the sports. They only get involved when it comes to gambling, but this is arguably worse.

13. Iowa (7-2)

Previous ranking: 18 (⇑5)

Result: W 24-10 at Northwestern

Iowa lost to Ohio State when they were a championship contender and on the road against Minnesota in a rivalry game.

Since then, they are ending the second tier of the Big Ten. Iowa took the CFP hopes away from Wisconsin and Northwestern in back-to-back weeks.

12. Texas (7-2)

Previous ranking: 12 ⇔

Result: W 34-20 at (16) Missouri

Texas playing 18-on-11 against was really unfair. Not only that, but the conference "upheld" those decisions.

The SEC protected Texas because they want Arch Manning in the College Football Playoff. As I said, it's about brand first, then conference. Sorry, Missouri. You should have won this game, but you were outmanned.

11. Alabama (7-2)

Previous ranking: 10 (⇓1)

Result: W 31-13 at (21) LSU

It's tough to move down after a road win against a ranked team, but the Kentucky win took a hit, and LSU was wildly overrated in the AP Poll.

I respect LSU's body of work, but none of their big wins at the time held up. Alabama has better losses than Tennessee, but head-to-head has to matter. It does in these rankings.

10. Tennessee (7-2)

Previous ranking: 15 (⇑5)

Result: W 34-6 vs. (8) Kentucky

Tennessee beat Kentucky about as badly as Alabama did, and has the head-to-head win over the Tide. That matters. Tennessee ate their cupcake in Week 1. They still have three conference opponents remaining.

The barrel lives https://t.co/ERr0ISXepj

— Austin Brown (@Austin_Vols) November 8, 2026

They need to bring back the real Beer Barrel. It's time. In an era where college football is losing everything that makes it special, how about bringing back something that helped make it special?

9. BYU (7-2)

Previous ranking: 6 (⇓3)

Result: L 28-20 at (1) Utah

BYU lost to the top-ranked team on the road and beat a top-5 team in Notre Dame. They absolutely deserve to be the highest-ranked two-loss team. Alabama has the quality losses, but BYU has the bigger win.

8. Wake Forest (8-1)

Previous ranking: 9 (⇑1)

Result: W 77-0 vs. Merrimack

Wake demolished Merrimack, and Gio Lopez didn't even play. Wake is winning the games they are supposed to, and they are winning convincingly. I'm curious to see what will happen in a rematch with Miami on a neutral field.

7. Texas Tech (8-1)

Previous ranking: 7 ⇔

Result: W 53-48 vs. West Virginia

Tech was in a fight against West Virginia, but they shut them out in the fourth quarter. Texas Tech is finally the team that everyone thought they would be before the season. It took Thomas Castellanos to unlock the true potential of this offense.

6. Miami (FL) (8-1)

Previous ranking: 2 (⇓4)

Result: L 31-24 at (11) Notre Dame

The loss to Notre Dame isn't bad, but Miami only has one big win, and it's a win that isn't respected outside of this ranking. I'll keep giving Miami credit for beating Wake Forest.

https://t.co/Uy5Co1xDWl

— VIDEO (@pahrduve) November 8, 2026

While I agree that this should be a touchdown, it is never called that way in college or the NFL. The irony of Miami getting mad over a call going against them is not lost on me.

5. UCLA (9-0)

Previous ranking: 5 ⇔

Result: W 34-20 at Minnesota

The Gophers hung around for a while, but UCLA did what they have done all season. They won the war of attrition in the second half. Notre Dame and UCLA have all but clinched a playoff spot already. It would take a 2007 Mets-like collapse to knock them out.

4. Indiana (8-1)

Previous ranking: 3 (⇓1)

Result: BYE

Byes are a good thing in college football this year. It means you can't lose. That's very important in 2026.

3. Notre Dame (8-1)

Previous ranking: 11 (⇑8)

Result: W 31-24 vs. (1) Miami (FL)

The Irish lost to a top-10 team on the road and beat one at home. That's better than any win Indiana has, and UCLA hasn't (and won't) play a top-10 team.

We can have a different discussion if Notre Dame drops a game to an unranked team, but right now, the Irish have one of the best wins and best losses. I could make a strong case for putting them over Georgia right now.

2. Georgia (8-1)

Previous ranking: 4 (⇑2)

Result: W 42-7 at (14) Mississippi

Yeah, that loss to Auburn is inexplicable. The wins still need to matter. Georgia has beaten Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. There are only two undefeated teams left, and UCLA's schedule is an embarrassment to college football.

1. Utah (9-0)

Previous ranking: 1 ⇔

Result: W 28-20 vs. (6) BYU

I was ahead of the curve since I had Utah at the top last week. Why? Because they freaking deserve it. The win over BYU just proves it.

Utah has three wins over currently ranked teams and doesn't have one of those pesky losses that SEC teams are such fans of.

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