FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 31: A Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan shows their support during the first half of the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Gillette Stadium on October 31, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
FOXBOROUGH, MA - OCTOBER 31: A Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan shows their support during the first half of the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Gillette Stadium on October 31, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images · Getty Images

The first set of college football playoff rankings will be released tonight on ESPN, and perhaps more than anything, it is a mile marker for where the season is right now in terms of number of games left.

The season as a whole has been absolutely wild, and it has an excellent opportunity to surpass 2007 as the wildest regular season in modern football. The 2007 season only had the BCS, so much of what happened over the first 12 games can be swept under the rug.

Not this season. The 12 team playoff is showing itself to be probably the right number for the regular season to really matter. Last year was a much different story as we went into the last month with practically no upsets, and that could still be the case this season — but I doubt it.

If you’re a Notre Dame fan, I would offer this piece of advice this week… don’t get too caught up in the “does ND make it in with 2 losses” debate. It’s a dumb debate with the way the season has gone so far, because no one has a clue of how this will take shape over the next few weeks. If Notre Dame beats Miami this week, however, the Irish are all but a lock to be in the CFP.

Anyways… here is my prediction for what the committee will do with the first set of College Football Playoff rankings.

  1. Miami Hurricanes
  2. Georgia Bulldogs
  3. Utah Utes
  4. UCLA Bruins
  5. Kentucky Wildcats
  6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  7. Indiana Hoosiers
  8. BYU Cougars
  9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
  10. Texas Tech Red Raiders
  11. Ole Miss Rebels
  12. Alabama Crimson Tide
  13. Texas Longhorns
  14. Ohio State Buckeyes
  15. LSU Tigers
  16. Tennessee Volunteers
  17. USC Trojans
  18. Boise State Broncos
  19. Arizona Wildcats
  20. Iowa Hawkeyes
  21. Houston Cogars
  22. Missouri Tigers
  23. Northwestern Wildcats
  24. New Mexico Lobos
  25. SMU Mustangs

Source: Yahoo Sports