How we compare
NCAA Elo next to the polls and the other computer ratings. NCAA Elo only knows this season's scores; the others also weigh reputation, last season, recruiting or play-by-play efficiency.
2026, NCAA Elo after Week 9
Amber: 10+ places from NCAA Elo
| NCAA Elo rank and teamNCAA Elo | AP | Coaches | FPI | CFBD Elo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Miami | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 UCLA | 7 | 7 | 28 | 22 |
| 3 Utah | 6 | 5 | 10 | 9 |
| 4 Notre Dame | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 Georgia | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 6 Indiana | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| 7 Boise State | 20 | 22 | 32 | 32 |
| 8 BYU | 8 | 9 | 16 | 33 |
| 9 LSU | 15 | 13 | 5 | 8 |
| 10 Wake Forest | 14 | 15 | 11 | 12 |
| 11 Alabama | 10 | 10 | 6 | 10 |
| 12 Ole Miss | 12 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| 13 Missouri | 23 | 23 | 19 | 18 |
| 14 Ohio State | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 15 Kentucky | 9 | 8 | 26 | 43 |
| 16 Texas | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 |
| 17 Tennessee | 16 | 17 | 14 | 15 |
| 18 South Carolina | NR | NR | 25 | 26 |
| 19 USC | NR | 25 | 15 | 21 |
| 20 Texas Tech | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
| 21 Liberty | NR | NR | 49 | 13 |
| 22 Houston | 18 | 19 | 20 | 46 |
| 23 UTSA | NR | NR | 70 | 51 |
| 24 Virginia Tech | NR | NR | 47 | 60 |
| 25 New Mexico | NR | NR | 46 | 36 |
| 26 Iowa | NR | 24 | 21 | 11 |
| 27 Arizona | 22 | 21 | 27 | 17 |
| 33 Oklahoma State | 24 | NR | 34 | 75 |
| 35 Northwestern | 20 | 18 | 24 | 27 |
| 43 Wisconsin | 25 | NR | 39 | 42 |
| 51 SMU | 19 | 16 | 35 | 28 |
| 54 Florida | 17 | 20 | 22 | 45 |
| In both top 25s | 19/25 | 20/25 | 18/25 | 17/25 |
These polls came out before Week 9's games. The new ones come out Sunday afternoon and show up here by Tuesday.
Shaded rows are outside NCAA Elo's top 25 but inside a poll's.
Where we disagree with the AP poll
Five or more places apart. An unranked team counts as 26th.
NCAA Elo likes them more
- Boise Stateus #7 · AP #20
- Missourius #13 · AP #23
- South Carolinaus #18 · AP unranked
- USCus #19 · AP unranked
- LSUus #9 · AP #15
- UCLAus #2 · AP #7
The AP likes them more
- Ohio Stateus #14 · AP #2
- Floridaus #54 · AP #17
- Texas Techus #20 · AP #13
- SMUus #51 · AP #19
- Kentuckyus #15 · AP #9
- Northwesternus #35 · AP #20
The other rankings
- AP Top 25Week 9 poll
- Sportswriters and broadcasters vote each week.
- Coaches PollWeek 9 poll
- FBS head coaches vote each week.
- ESPN FPILatest
- ESPN's predictive rating, from play efficiency plus a preseason projection built on recruiting and returning players.
- CFBD EloLatest
- CollegeFootballData's own Elo, which carries ratings over from the previous season.
NCAA Elo is the odd one out on purpose: every team starts at 1500 in August and only this season's results count. So it can disagree most in September, when the others still lean on what they expected. A poll's “Week N” comes out before that week's games, so it lines up with NCAA Elo after Week N−1. Polls and FPI from ESPN; CFBD Elo from CollegeFootballData.com. How NCAA Elo works