The Utah Utes were one of the nation's top teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings for the 2026-27 season. Morgan Scalley's team earned the No. 3 spot, according to the Playoff committee.

As the Big 12's top contender, the Utes are the squad to beat. Miami and Georgia are ahead of Utah in that order, followed by Indiana and Alabama to round out the top five. The Tide was the biggest shock from the committee after suffering two losses, including a 16-point defeat to Tennessee.

Alabama debuted at No. 5 and wasn't the only two-loss SEC team in the top 10. Texas came in at No. 7, along with Ole Miss at No. 10. This sends a clear message to the rest of the country about overall record not being a factor in the nation's premium conference. The committee is rewarding the SEC for a quality schedule. For undefeated UCLA to be No. 8 behind four SEC teams with a loss says everything.

As for the Big 12, five teams were put in the initial rankings. No. 3 Utah earned the top spot with BYU as the next up. The Beehive State foes were joined by No. 15 Texas Tech. No. 17 Houston and No. 22 Arizona. These five are expected to play a role in the conference title race in the final month. BYU has a tiebreaker over Arizona, while Utah has a similar scenario against Houston.

College Football Playoff Ranking: Week 10

1. Miami 8-0

2. Georgia 7-1

3. Utah 8-0

4. Indiana 8-1

5. Alabama 6-2

6. Kentucky 7-1

7. Texas 6-2

8. UCLA 8-0

9. BYU 7-1

10. Ole Miss 6-2

11. Notre Dame 7-1

12. Ohio State 6-2

13. Tennessee 6-2

14. LSU 6-2

15. Texas Tech 7-1

16. Wake Forest 7-1

17. Houston 6-2

18. Missouri 6-2

19. Iowa 6-2

20. Southern California 7-2

21. South Carolina 5-3

22. Arizona 6-2

23. Oregon 5-3

24. Florida 5-3

25. Boise State 7-1

No. 3 Utah hosts No. 9 BYU in Salt Lake City on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon ET on ABC. This marks the 103rd meeting in the Holy War rivalry. The first-ever contest with both teams ranked in the top 10.

This comes at the right point in the season with both the Utes and Cougars fighting for a spot in the Big 12 title game. The winner will likely control their own destiny in the Playoff picture as well.