As teams get set to begin the fight on the field for the top spots in the College Football Playoff rankings, they continue to battle for position in the 2026 class rankings. USC maintains a slim lead over the rest of the pack, with Georgia sitting on the Trojans' heels.

We're expanding the rankings from 25 to 40 teams, with the ACC, Big Ten and SEC each holding at least 10 of those spots. The Big Ten has the most teams ranked with 12.

With less than a dozen prospects in the ESPN 300 remaining undeclared, further ascension could be tough. But many of those players are inside the top 100, and that coupled with the fact that the recruiting world is always full of unexpected twists and turns, suggests the race for positioning in the rankings, including at the very top, is far from settled.

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