CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

The 2026 season

2,211 of 3,679 games played through week 7. Six FBS teams are still unbeaten. The biggest game by the rankings: No. 4 Texas 24, No. 1 Ohio State 23 (Sep 12, 2026). 24 ranked teams have lost to unranked or lower-ranked opponents so far.

The season so far

This week’s polls

Unbeaten 6

Conference races

Atlantic Coast Conference

Miami4–⁠06–⁠0
Wake Forest4–⁠16–⁠1
SMU3–⁠15–⁠1

American Athletic Conference

UTSA3–⁠06–⁠1
North Texas2–⁠04–⁠2
Army3–⁠14–⁠2

Big 12

BYU3–⁠06–⁠0
Texas Tech3–⁠06–⁠0
Utah3–⁠06–⁠0

Big Ten

UCLA4–⁠06–⁠0
Ohio State4–⁠06–⁠1
Indiana3–⁠16–⁠1

Conference USA

Jacksonville State3–⁠05–⁠2
Liberty2–⁠05–⁠1
Western Kentucky2–⁠13–⁠4

Mid-American Conference

Ohio3–⁠05–⁠2
Western Michigan3–⁠05–⁠2
Eastern Michigan3–⁠14–⁠4

Mountain West Conference

New Mexico2–⁠05–⁠1
North Dakota State3–⁠16–⁠1
Air Force3–⁠15–⁠1

Pac-12

Oregon State3–⁠05–⁠2
Boise State2–⁠05–⁠1
San Diego State2–⁠13–⁠4

Southeastern Conference

Georgia4–⁠16–⁠1
Kentucky4–⁠16–⁠1
Tennessee3–⁠16–⁠1

Sun Belt Conference

James Madison4–⁠07–⁠0
Louisiana Tech2–⁠04–⁠2
South Alabama2–⁠04–⁠2

Each conference’s leaders by conference record, then overall (the second column), through last night’s update.

Scoreboards

Latest AP poll

1Georgia (66)Southeastern Conference
2Notre Dame (1)FBS Independents
3Miami (2)Atlantic Coast Conference
4Ohio StateBig Ten
5Indiana (1)Big Ten
6AlabamaSoutheastern Conference
7TexasSoutheastern Conference
8BYUBig 12
9Ole MissSoutheastern Conference
10Texas TechBig 12
11UtahBig 12
12UCLABig Ten
13MissouriSoutheastern Conference
14TennesseeSoutheastern Conference
15KentuckySoutheastern Conference
16Mississippi StateSoutheastern Conference
17IowaBig Ten
18Oklahoma StateBig 12
19USCBig Ten
20HoustonBig 12
21Wake ForestAtlantic Coast Conference
22LSUSoutheastern Conference
23Boise StatePac-12
24SMUAtlantic Coast Conference
25NorthwesternBig Ten

Biggest upsets

Sep 12, 2026Oklahoma State 39, 6Oregon 31Oklahoma State +24.5
Oct 17, 2026Auburn 27, 1Georgia 24Auburn +19.5
Sep 19, 2026Kentucky 31, 9Texas A&M 21Kentucky +16.5
Oct 17, 2026Florida 27, 7Texas 24Florida +13.5
Sep 26, 2026Wake Forest 30, 16Louisville 27Wake Forest +11.5
Oct 10, 2026South Carolina 38, 16Florida 19South Carolina +10.5
Oct 17, 20268BYU 28, 2Notre Dame 24BYU +10.5
Sep 19, 2026West Virginia 38, 25Virginia 27West Virginia +10.5
Oct 10, 202621UCLA 17, 13Oregon 15UCLA +10
Oct 10, 2026Kentucky 35, 10LSU 34Kentucky +9.5
Sep 26, 2026Wisconsin 24, 13Penn State 20Wisconsin +9.5
Oct 10, 2026Oklahoma 27, 1Texas 24Oklahoma +7.5

Ranked teams that lost as the betting favorite, the longest shots first, with the winner’s odds on the line; before lines are on file, ranked teams beaten by unranked or lower-ranked ones.

Most exciting games

Sep 12, 2026Wake Forest 38, Purdue 36
Sep 26, 2026Air Force 36, Nevada 33
Oct 17, 2026West Virginia 45, Cincinnati 42
Sep 5, 2026The Citadel 43, Charlotte 41
Oct 17, 20263Miami 43, Florida State 35
Sep 26, 2026Marshall 36, Gardner-Webb 35
Oct 1, 2026North Texas 45, Tulsa 44
Oct 3, 2026San Diego State 31, Texas State 29

By CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index: how far each team’s chance of winning swung, play by play. Games with an FBS team, decided by 16 points or fewer.

Most-watched games

Texas 24, Ohio State 23Sep 12, 202614.0 millionABC
Ole Miss 32, LSU 24Sep 19, 202610.9 millionABC
Texas 20, Tennessee 17Sep 26, 20269.8 millionABC
Florida 52, Ole Miss 28Sep 26, 20268.3 millionABC
Michigan 17, Oklahoma 10Sep 12, 20268.2 millionFOX
Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13Sep 6, 20267.4 millionNBC
Alabama 45, Kentucky 17Sep 12, 20267.3 millionABC
Alabama 50, Florida State 36Sep 19, 20267.0 millionABC
Ohio State 31, Iowa 14Oct 3, 20266.0 millionCBS
LSU 51, Clemson 10Sep 5, 20265.8 millionABC

Nielsen’s TV audience for the games the tracker lists, on each game’s main network (a simulcast’s overflow channel aside). Games on SEC Network, ACC Network and CBS Sports Network have no Nielsen count and aren’t listed. Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.

The AP poll, week by week

This week’s polls
The AP poll’s top 10 in 2026, week by week1510152025Wk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Texas Tech: Wk 1 No. 12, Wk 2 No. 13, Wk 3 No. 13, Wk 4 No. 11, Wk 5 No. 12, Wk 6 No. 11, Wk 7 No. 1010 Texas TechOle Miss: Wk 1 No. 9, Wk 2 No. 9, Wk 3 No. 8, Wk 4 No. 4, Wk 5 No. 9, Wk 6 No. 9, Wk 7 No. 99 Ole MissBYU: Wk 1 No. 14, Wk 2 No. 15, Wk 3 No. 11, Wk 4 No. 9, Wk 5 No. 10, Wk 6 No. 8, Wk 7 No. 88 BYUTexas: Wk 1 No. 5, Wk 2 No. 4, Wk 3 No. 1, Wk 4 No. 1, Wk 5 No. 1, Wk 6 No. 1, Wk 7 No. 77 TexasAlabama: Wk 1 No. 13, Wk 2 No. 12, Wk 3 No. 10, Wk 4 No. 8, Wk 5 No. 7, Wk 6 No. 6, Wk 7 No. 66 AlabamaIndiana: Wk 1 No. 6, Wk 2 No. 5, Wk 3 No. 4, Wk 4 No. 5, Wk 5 No. 6, Wk 6 No. 7, Wk 7 No. 55 IndianaOhio State: Wk 1 No. 1, Wk 2 No. 1, Wk 3 No. 6, Wk 4 No. 7, Wk 5 No. 5, Wk 6 No. 5, Wk 7 No. 44 Ohio StateMiami: Wk 1 No. 7, Wk 2 No. 7, Wk 3 No. 5, Wk 4 No. 6, Wk 5 No. 4, Wk 6 No. 4, Wk 7 No. 33 MiamiNotre Dame: Wk 1 No. 4, Wk 2 No. 3, Wk 3 No. 3, Wk 4 No. 3, Wk 5 No. 3, Wk 6 No. 3, Wk 7 No. 22 Notre DameGeorgia: Wk 1 No. 3, Wk 2 No. 2, Wk 3 No. 2, Wk 4 No. 2, Wk 5 No. 2, Wk 6 No. 2, Wk 7 No. 11 Georgia
The top 10 of the latest AP poll and where each stood every week before it; a gap is a week out of the Top 25. Hover or tab to a line for its weeks.

Climbed

  1. UCLAunranked → No. 12
  2. MissouriNo. 25 → No. 13
  3. Kentuckyunranked → No. 15
  4. UtahNo. 21 → No. 11
  5. Mississippi Stateunranked → No. 16

Fell

  1. OregonNo. 2 → unranked
  2. Texas A&MNo. 8 → unranked
  3. OklahomaNo. 10 → unranked
  4. LSUNo. 11 → No. 22
  5. MichiganNo. 16 → unranked

From the season’s first AP poll (the preseason poll) to the latest.

The top 12 right now, by our Elo

What Elo is
  1. 1Ohio State6–⁠1AP No. 4
  2. 2Indiana6–⁠1AP No. 5
  3. 3Miami6–⁠0AP No. 3
  4. 4Georgia6–⁠1AP No. 1
  5. 5Notre Dame6–⁠1AP No. 2
  6. 6James Madison7–⁠0unranked
  7. 7Ole Miss5–⁠1AP No. 9
  8. 8BYU6–⁠0AP No. 8
  9. 9Texas Tech6–⁠0AP No. 10
  10. 10Utah6–⁠0AP No. 11
  11. 11Oregon4–⁠2unranked
  12. 12Alabama5–⁠2AP No. 6

Twelve teams, the size of the Playoff field, ranked by this site’s Elo rating from scores alone. The selection committee picks the real field and seeds it by its own rules; this is what the results say so far.

National leaders

Passing yards

  1. 1Braden Atkinson Oregon State2,583 yds
  2. 2Jayden Maiava USC2,045 yds
  3. 3Julian Sayin Ohio State2,007 yds
  4. 4Ethan Grunkemeyer Virginia Tech1,984 yds
  5. 5Giovanni Lopez Wake Forest1,947 yds

Passing touchdowns

  1. 1Braden Atkinson Oregon State24 TD
  2. 2Conner Weigman Houston20 TD
  3. 3Julian Sayin Ohio State19 TD
  4. T4Darian Mensah Miami18 TD
  5. T4Jayden Maiava USC18 TD

Rushing yards

  1. 1Jamal Roberts Missouri867 yds
  2. 2Torrance Burgess Jr. Texas State838 yds
  3. 3DeSean Bishop Tennessee837 yds
  4. 4Dylan Riley Boise State835 yds
  5. 5Cam Cook West Virginia833 yds

Rushing touchdowns

  1. 1Michael Hawkins Jr. West Virginia14 TD
  2. T2Cale Hellums Army13 TD
  3. T2Jadan Baugh Florida13 TD
  4. T4Ashton Daniels Florida State11 TD
  5. T4Wayne Knight UCLA11 TD

Receiving yards

  1. 1Jesse Legree Oregon State1,040 yds
  2. 2Jeremiah Smith Ohio State984 yds
  3. 3Umari Hatcher Syracuse784 yds
  4. 4Malachi Toney Miami758 yds
  5. 5K.J. Duff Rutgers741 yds

Receiving touchdowns

  1. 1Jesse Legree Oregon State14 TD
  2. 2Jeremiah Smith Ohio State12 TD
  3. T3Collin Dixon Illinois9 TD
  4. T3K.J. Duff Rutgers9 TD
  5. 5Charlie Becker Indiana8 TD

Tackles

  1. T1E.J. Smith Nevada72 tkl
  2. T1Nicholas Rodriguez Missouri72 tkl
  3. 3Muaaz Byard UAB71 tkl
  4. 4Jared Lloyd Missouri State70 tkl
  5. 5Marcellius Pulliam Coastal Carolina68 tkl

Sacks

  1. 1Colin Simmons Texas10 sacks
  2. 2Princewill Umanmielen LSU8 sacks
  3. T3Andrew Zock Toledo7 sacks
  4. T3Aycen Stevens Virginia Tech7 sacks
  5. T3Daeden Hopkins Missouri7 sacks

Interceptions

  1. T1Kaleb Beasley Louisville5 INT
  2. T1Kingston Lopa California5 INT
  3. T3D.J. Kelly James Madison4 INT
  4. T3Jordan Castell Kentucky4 INT
  5. T3Marion Moore North Dakota State4 INT

FBS players; season totals from CollegeFootballData.com player statistics.

Rule book changes

Every rule book

The 2026 NCAA rule book against the one before: 3 new, 14 changed, 1 removed, 5 renumbered and 2 retitled articles, which took effect between 2024 and 2026 (the dataset has no book for the season before).

Rule 1: The Game, Field, Players and Equipment

  • Changed Rule 1-4-1 Recommended Numbering (Players and Playing Equipment)
  • Changed Rule 1-4-10 Prohibited Signal Devices (Players and Playing Equipment)

Rule 2: Definitions

  • Changed Rule 2-8-3 Invalid Signal (Fair Catch)
  • Changed Rule 2-11-1 Fumble (Fumble, Muff; Batting and Touching the Ball; Blocking a Kick)
  • Changed Rule 2-16-10 Scrimmage Kick Formation (Kicks; Kicking the Ball)
  • New Rule 2-16-11 Fair Catch Kick (Kicks; Kicking the Ball)

Rule 3: Periods, Time Factors and Substitutions

  • New Rule 3-3-5 Two-Minute Timeout (Timeouts: Starting and Stopping the Clock)
  • Renumbered Rule 3-3-6 Injury Timeout (Timeouts: Starting and Stopping the Clock) was Rule 3-3-5
  • Renumbered Rule 3-3-7 Violation Timeouts (Timeouts: Starting and Stopping the Clock) was Rule 3-3-6
  • Renumbered Rule 3-3-8 Length of Timeouts (Timeouts: Starting and Stopping the Clock) was Rule 3-3-7
  • Renumbered Rule 3-3-9 Referee’s Notification (Timeouts: Starting and Stopping the Clock) was Rule 3-3-8
  • Renumbered Rule 3-3-10 Helmet Comes Off – Timeout (Timeouts: Starting and Stopping the Clock) was Rule 3-3-9
  • Changed Rule 3-4-4 10-Second Runoff from Game Clock-Foul (Delays/Clock Tactics)

Rule 6: Kicks

  • Changed Rule 6-3-14 Defensive Linemen on Scrimmage Kick Plays (Scrimmage Kicks)

Rule 7: Snapping and Passing the Ball

  • Retitled Rule 7-3-12 Team B Personal Foul and Unsportsmanlike Conduct During Legal Forward Pass Play (Forward Pass)

Rule 9: Conduct of Players and Others Subject to the Rules

  • Retitled Rule 9-1-3 Targeting and Making Forcible Contact With the Crown of the Helmet (Personal Fouls)
  • Changed Rule 9-1-14 Contact Against the Snapper (Personal Fouls)
  • Changed Rule 9-1-15 Horse-Collar Tackle (Personal Fouls)
  • Changed Rule 9-2-1 Unsportsmanlike Acts (Unsportsmanlike Conduct Fouls)

Rule 12: Instant Replay

  • Changed Rule 12-1-1 Purpose (Purpose and Philosophy)
  • Changed Rule 12-1-3 Criterion for Overturn (Purpose and Philosophy)
  • New Rule 12-3-5 Targeting (Reviewable Plays)
  • Changed Rule 12-3-6 Miscellaneous (Reviewable Plays)
  • Changed Rule 12-5-2 When To Stop a Game (Initiating the Replay Process)
  • Removed Rule 12–⁠7 Overturning an On-Field Ruling (Overturning an On-Field Ruling)

Only the first sentence of each article is compared, so a change deeper in an article (most penalty clauses, the overtime procedure) doesn’t show here, and a change that shows may be rewording. No rule text is kept: only numbers and headings. Rule books: NCAA, via Pierce’s provision dataset (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0).