We are coming down the home stretch of the 2026 college football season and have reached the point of the year when games matter the most. This is the time when teams want to be playing their best football, with conference title hopes and College Football Playoff berths on the line.
This year's playoff race may be more wide open than ever, with only a select few teams looking like locks for the 12-team field and plenty of others still fighting for a spot. Let's take a look at which teams are still alive in the playoff race as we head into Week 10.
SEC (10)
- Georgia (7-1)
- Kentucky (7-1)
- Alabama (6-2)
- Ole Miss (6-2)
- Texas (6-2)
- LSU (6-2)
- Missouri (6-2)
- Tennessee (6-2)
- South Carolina (5-3)
- Florida (5-3)
The SEC has been eating each other alive this season, and the playoffs are really starting now for many of these teams with so many sitting on two losses. Georgia is really the only team that feels comfortable right now, while Kentucky has set itself up very nicely with just one loss as it heads into a tough four-game stretch to close out the year. Outside of those two, it will be fascinating to see how things shake out for the rest of the conference. With how things currently stand, we're set up for some strong arguments to be made in favor of a three-loss SEC team making the field, which in my mind, leaves South Carolina and Florida not completely dead yet.
Big Ten (6)
- UCLA (8-0)
- Indiana (8-1)
- Ohio State (6-2)
- USC (7-2)
- Iowa (6-2)
- Northwestern (6-2)
It feels like we could see as many as four teams from the Big Ten in the CFP, but it also wouldn't be surprising if just two make it. UCLA is the lone team in the conference that remains unbeaten in what has been an incredible first year for Bob Chesney, while reigning national champion Indiana may not be passing the eye test but continues to find ways to win. USC's upset over Ohio State made things interesting for the Trojans, but they have a tough road ahead just like the Buckeyes, who look like they may be in trouble with Julian Sayin injured. Iowa and Northwestern are sitting on the outside looking in, but I wouldn't consider either team dead yet. They'll meet this Saturday in a pseudo-playoff elimination game.
Big 12 (3)
- Utah (8-0)
- BYU (7-1)
- Texas Tech (7-1)
The Big 12 may have its strongest argument yet for getting multiple teams into the College Football Playoff. Utah has been the steady force in the conference throughout the season and will face BYU in a massive top-10 Holy War matchup, while still having a road game at Arizona on the schedule. The Cougars could definitely use a win in that one, but they still have that key win over Notre Dame, which will help a lot in terms of an at-large bid. Texas Tech came into the season looking like the heavy favorite, but it has had a very up-and-down year. The Red Raiders picked up a big win against Arizona this past Saturday with Thomas Castellanos at quarterback, keeping them right in the thick of things.
ACC (2)
- Miami (8-0)
- Wake Forest (7-1)
The ACC has been Miami and then everyone else this season. The Hurricanes have been rolling and are in prime position to make back-to-back CFP appearances, but they have looked human over the past couple of weeks. Outside of Miami, Wake Forest is the only other team alive, but the Demon Deacons are very much alive. The problem is they don't really have any big wins. Regardless, if Jake Dickert's team can take care of business the rest of the way, which would include a win at SMU, and get to the ACC title game with one loss, it will be hard to keep them out.
Group of Six (3)
- Boise State (7-1)
- New Mexico (7-1)
- UTSA (7-1)
The Group of Six playoff race has become much clearer over the past couple of weeks, with teams like James Madison, North Dakota State, and Oregon State taking losses. At this point, it feels like a two-horse race between Boise State and New Mexico, who have very similar resumes and are in the driver's seat for the G6 playoff spot. However, if both of them were to fall, UTSA would be right there in the conversation. Keep a close eye on how, or if, the Group of Six teams are ranked when the first College Football Playoff committee rankings are released on Tuesday night.
Independents (1)
- Notre Dame (7-1)
The Irish have a big one this Saturday against Miami, especially with SMU losing to Syracuse this past Saturday and hurting the value of Notre Dame's remaining matchup with the Mustangs. I wouldn't call the meeting with the Hurricanes this week a must-win, but if Notre Dame loses, we could find ourselves having the exact same conversation about the Irish and the playoff as last year, with two losses in their only real big games.
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