THE APEX TIMES
The NCAA’s weekly tracking shows the perfect-season field has narrowed to Miami, Utah and UCLA as of games played through Nov. 1.
The NCAA said that going into the 2026 season, 136 FBS teams had a path to an unblemished record. After games through Nov. 1 and completion of Week 8, three undefeated teams remain in pursuit of what would be a rare perfect national-season finish.
Miami (FL) (8-0) is one of the three holdouts. The NCAA noted the Hurricanes survived close games late in October and face their biggest test yet in a top-five matchup against Notre Dame in South Bend.
Utah (8-0) is the other undefeated team in the mix. The NCAA highlighted Utah’s Big 12 standing and a resume that includes a ranked win over then-No. 18 Houston, and it pointed to the next ranked matchup as the Holy War against BYU.
UCLA (8-0) is the most surprising undefeated team left, according to the NCAA. The outlet also emphasized how UCLA’s season has exceeded preseason expectations and said its next challenge is a season finale against crosstown rival USC.
Indiana’s 2025 perfect season and College Football Playoff title set the benchmark for this year’s chase. The NCAA’s update makes clear that, as of the latest games reported through Nov. 1, a 2026 team has not yet joined that list of recent perfect-season champions.