CFP rankings arrive with chaos everywhere. Who’s safe and who’s in trouble? - USA Today

Now it’s real. It’s no longer about hype or hypotheticals. 

Now it’s up to the 13 men and women of the College Football Playoff selection committee to make sense of it all. 

It is here where I remind you of committee chairman Hunter Yurachek’s flippant response last year to as big a question ever faced by the CFP. What to do with Ole Miss if coach Lane Kiffin leaves before the playoff begins?

Yuracheck, Arkansas’ athletic director, used a viral TikTok response to explain the process. 

Hunter, babe, there’s millions on the line here. Tighten up.

Before the chairman leads the room for another season, we’re here to provide some sanity and seriousness with the USA TODAY Sports Playoff Predictor. We’re deep in the throws of a wild, unpredictable season that isn’t slowing down soon. 

Curt Cignetti, arguably the best coach in the game, nearly blew it for defending national champion Indiana. The Big Ten, meanwhile, is in turmoil, its best team suddenly vulnerable with a backup quarterback. 

Then there’s the SEC, where as many as eight teams have legit CFP resumes. If, that is, you buy the we’re the SEC and you’re not routine. 

Fortunately, the Miami or Notre Dame question will end this week, unlike last year's never-ending debate. So we've got that going for us.

Hands and feet in the car, everyone. It’s a bumpy ride through the November games to remember. 

The first rankings for the 2026-27 CFP will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Nov. 3. The top 25 will be unveiled throughout the hour-long show on ESPN.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.