College Football Playoff · 2026
2026 College Football Playoff projection
The current 12-team field under this season’s rules, selected and seeded by résumé rank.
Projected bracket
First round · on campus
The field
| Seed | Team | Bid | Résumé | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky 7-1 · SEC (5-1) | Conference champion | #1 | #15 · +15.79 |
| 2 | Indiana 7-1 · Big Ten (4-1) | At-large | #2 | #6 · +19.38 |
| 3 | Miami 7-0 · ACC (5-0) | Conference champion | #3 | #1 · +22.34 |
| 4 | UCLA 7-0 · Big Ten (5-0) | Conference champion | #4 | #9 · +17.45 |
| 5 | Utah 7-0 · Big 12 (4-0) | Conference champion | #5 | #8 · +17.85 |
| 6 | BYU 6-1 · Big 12 (3-1) | At-large | #6 | #19 · +15.30 |
| 7 | Alabama 6-2 · SEC (4-2) | At-large | #7 | #5 · +19.82 |
| 8 | Ohio State 6-1 · Big Ten (4-0) | At-large | #8 | #4 · +20.53 |
| 9 | Notre Dame 6-1 · FBS Independents | Notre Dame (top 12) | #9 | #3 · +20.91 |
| 10 | Houston 6-2 · Big 12 (3-2) | At-large | #10 | #14 · +15.98 |
| 11 | Texas 5-2 · SEC (2-2) | At-large | #11 | #12 · +16.59 |
| 12 | Boise State 6-1 · Pac-12 (3-0) | Group of Six champion | #12 | #17 · +15.51 |
How this projection works
- The champions of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC receive automatic bids, as does the highest-ranked champion from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, and Sun Belt.
- Notre Dame receives a bid if it ranks in the top 12.
- The remaining spots go to the highest-ranked teams. All 12 are seeded in rank order; seeds 1–4 get byes and seeds 5–8 host first-round games.
- Champions are projected as the team with the best conference record, ties broken by résumé rank. Official tiebreakers and title games are not modeled.
The actual field is chosen by the selection committee. The power rankings rate team strength; the methodology explains both.