College Football Playoff Rankings Released on Election Night for Sixth Time

4 November 2026 · Source balance: Centre

For the sixth time in its 12-year history, the College Football Playoff released its first set of rankings on Election Day, Tuesday, November third, creating a split-screen moment for American viewers. The CFP committee published its rankings at seven p.m. on ESPN while voters cast ballots across the nation. The timing stems from the CFP's strict scheduling system: rankings come out every Tuesday from November through early December, while U.S. elections are always held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Miami takes the top spot in this year's initial rankings, followed by Georgia, Utah, and Indiana in the top four. ESPN, which pays around 1.3 billion dollars annually for playoff rights, continues this practice deliberately, using the evening slot to feed into primetime programming. Whether this counts as strategic counterprogramming or simply an unavoidable calendar overlap remains debated. The NBA typically goes dark on Election Day, while the NHL has scheduled a full slate of games.