The first College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night and IU football is No. 4.
The initial top 12: 1. Miami (FL); 2. Georgia; 3. Utah; 4. Indiana; 5. Alabama; 6. Kentucky; 7. Texas; 8. UCLA; 9. BYU; 10. Ole Miss; 11. Notre Dame; 12. Ohio State
The 12-team playoff field will be finalized on Sunday, December 6, following conference championship weekend.
The initial rankings provide a first look at the committee’s current view of the prospective teams through nine weeks of the regular season.
The CFP selection committee ranks its top 25 teams and at the conclusion of the regular season, the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will be seeded into a 12-team bracket. If Notre Dame is ranked in the final top 12, it receives an automatic bid.
The four highest-seeded teams will receive a first-round bye.
The CFP first round matchups will feature four games between teams seeded No. 5 through No. 12. The higher-seeded team in each matchup will host.
In 2024, IU football was the No. 10 seed and played at No. 7 Notre Dame. The Hoosiers lost 27-17 to the Fighting Irish, the eventual national runner-up to Ohio State.
In 2025, IU football was the No. 1 seed and beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Oregon in the Peach Bowl and Miami (FL) in the CFP national championship game. The Hoosiers finished 16-0.
Indiana, 8-1 overall, is 5-1 in conference play with home wins against Northwestern and Minnesota along with road wins at Michigan, Rutgers and Nebraska. IU’s only loss came against Ohio State at Memorial Stadium in Week 7.
The Hoosiers are on a bye this week before returning to action in Week 11 against USC at Memorial Stadium. CBS will have coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Future CFP rankings release schedule on ESPN:
9-9:30 p.m. ET – Tuesday, Nov. 10
9-9:30 p.m. ET – Tuesday, Nov. 17
7:30-8 p.m. ET – Tuesday, Nov. 24
7-7:30 p.m. ET – Tuesday, Dec. 1
Noon-3 p.m. ET – Sunday, Dec. 6 (Selection Day)
November 3?? College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings
4??. Indiana Hoosiers // @IndianaFootball https://t.co/AlioAoE2sj
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 4, 2026
