NCAA ranks FBS unbeaten starts by surprise factor

The least surprising starts

Notre Dame (5-0) ranked 15th. The NCAA said the Fighting Irish’s record was expected, pointing to a schedule in which Wisconsin was their only opponent with a record above .500. Indiana (5-0) followed at No. 14. Its position reflected expectations that it would reach 5-0, tempered by the loss of a Heisman winner from the previous season.

Miami (5-0), ranked 13th, had also faced questions about its schedule. The report noted that Stanford and Wake Forest were not highly rated in the preseason, while Miami’s early-October road game at Clemson added some uncertainty. BYU (4-0) stood at No. 12; the NCAA wrote that many in the Big 12 expected the Cougars to remain unbeaten at this point after reaching the conference championship game the previous year.

Road tests and ranked matchups shape the list

James Madison (5-0) was ranked 11th. The Dukes had made the playoffs the previous season and entered 2026 as the Sun Belt favorite, but the NCAA identified their road game at San Diego State as a less certain test in the preseason.

Georgia (5-0) came in at No. 10. The report highlighted the Bulldogs’ game against Oklahoma, which had looked like a potential top-10 matchup before Oklahoma fell out of the AP Top 25. Utah (4-0), ranked ninth, had no ranked opponent during its unbeaten start, though its schedule included an SEC matchup with Arkansas.

Alabama (5-0) was eighth. The NCAA pointed to the preseason anticipation around Alabama’s home game against Florida State, which had beaten the Crimson Tide 31-17 in the previous season’s opener. The report excerpt also noted Alabama’s road visit to Mississippi State, which had been ranked No. 16 at the time.

A ranking based on expectations

The NCAA framed the list as a measure of surprise rather than a simple ranking of team strength. Its explanations compared results with preseason expectations and considered factors such as opponents’ standing, recent records and whether games were played on the road.

The supplied report excerpt contains the rankings from No. 15 through No. 8; it does not provide the names or explanations for the seven teams ranked above Alabama.