The 2026 college football postseason is coming into focus, and RotoWire's model has the whole thing mapped out -- a projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket plus a landing spot for every bowl-eligible team across the full 35-game non-playoff slate.
Below is our complete set of 2026 bowl projections, built from a blend of the betting market and ESPN's Football Power Index rather than gut feel.
The interactive widget below lets you sort the whole picture by the playoff bracket, the full bowl schedule, or your own conference, and every matchup expands to show the date, kickoff time, TV network and site.
Also make time for RotoWire's weekly AI score projections here.
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Citrus BowlMichigan vs Oklahoma▾
ReliaQuest BowlPenn State vs Ole Miss▾
Music City BowlUSC vs Tennessee▾
Gator BowlSMU vs Florida▾
Alamo BowlBYU vs Louisville▾
Las Vegas BowlMissouri vs Utah▾
Pop-Tarts BowlClemson vs Houston▾
Duke's Mayo BowlVirginia vs Iowa▾
Sun BowlPitt vs Kansas St▾
Holiday BowlFlorida St vs Washington▾
Texas BowlArizona vs Auburn▾
Liberty BowlBaylor vs South Carolina▾
Pinstripe BowlVirginia Tech vs Illinois▾
Cactus BowlNebraska vs TCU▾
Birmingham BowlWisconsin vs South Florida▾
Gasparilla BowlTulane vs Memphis▾
Military BowlNC State vs East Carolina▾
Fenway BowlGeorgia Tech vs Navy▾
First Responder BowlJames Madison vs UNLV▾
Independence BowlArizona St vs Liberty▾
Armed Forces BowlOklahoma St vs UTSA▾
Hawaii BowlNew Mexico vs Hawai'i▾
New Mexico BowlOld Dominion vs Air Force▾
Cure BowlToledo vs W Michigan▾
Boca Raton BowlSan Diego St vs Army▾
Frisco BowlMiami OH vs Louisiana▾
Myrtle Beach BowlMarshall vs Western KY▾
68 Ventures BowlDelaware vs Troy▾
Idaho Potato BowlOhio vs N Dakota St†▾
Poinsettia BowlFresno St vs California▾
Arizona BowlC Michigan vs Wyoming*▾
Puerto Rico BowlBuffalo vs Texas St▾
New Orleans BowlJax State vs Kennesaw St▾
Frisco Football ClassicArkansas St vs FIU▾
Salute to Veterans BowlLouisiana Tech*vs App State*▾
Win projections — the spine
Every FBS team's projected record is a 50/50 blend of market season win totals (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM consensus) and ESPN FPI projected wins. Six-plus wins = bowl-eligible.
Composite power rating
A z-score blend of FPI rating and market win total stands in for the selection committee ranking — it decides seeding and at-large ordering.
Conferences & the field
Highest-rated team in each league is the projected champion. The bracket follows the 2026 rules, seeded straight by composite. The Group of Six auto bid goes to the highest FPI-rated G6 team — it rewards committee ranking, not a schedule-inflated win total.
Bowl slotting
Eligible teams fill the real published bowl lineup by conference tie-in, reconciled from CBS Sports and College Football News, then ordered by selection priority within each conference.
2026 College Football Playoff Bracket Projection
Our projected College Football Playoff bracket is headlined by an undefeated-look Notre Dame at the top overall seed, with the Big Ten placing three teams and the SEC flooding the field with five. 
Notre Dame, 
Oregon, 
Indiana and 
Ohio State earn the top four seeds and first-round byes; the remaining eight teams open on campus in the first round.
Under the 2026 format, automatic bids go to the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC champions plus the highest-ranked Group of Six team, with Notre Dame qualifying automatically as an independent inside the top 12. Boise State claims the Group of Six auto bid in our projection as the model's top-rated non-power team.
| Seed | Team | Conf. | Proj. Record | Bid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notre Dame | Ind | 11-1 | Auto |
| 2 | Oregon | Big Ten | 10-2 | Auto |
| 3 | Indiana | Big Ten | 10-2 | At-large |
| 4 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 10-2 | At-large |
| 5 | Miami | ACC | 10-2 | Auto |
| 6 | Texas | SEC | 10-2 | Auto |
| 7 | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 11-1 | Auto |
| 8 | Georgia | SEC | 10-2 | At-large |
| 9 | Alabama | SEC | 9-3 | At-large |
| 10 | LSU | SEC | 8-4 | At-large |
| 11 | Texas A&M | SEC | 8-4 | At-large |
| 12 | Boise St | Pac-12 | 8-4 | Auto |
First-Round College Football Playoff Matchups
Seeds 5 through 12 meet in the first round on December 18–19, hosted on the higher seed's home field. Here is how our projected first-round College Football Playoff matchups line up:
| Seeds | Matchup | Host site |
|---|---|---|
| 12 at 5 | (12) Boise St at (5) Miami | Miami campus |
| 11 at 6 | (11) Texas A&M at (6) Texas | Texas campus |
| 10 at 7 | (10) LSU at (7) Texas Tech | Texas Tech campus |
| 9 at 8 | (9) Alabama at (8) Georgia | Georgia campus |
New Year's Six Quarterfinal Projections
The four first-round winners advance to face the top four seeds in the New Year's Six quarterfinals around New Year's Day. Under the new rules, the top three seeds select their preferred bowl; the pairings below are illustrative of that draft, with the Orange and Sugar Bowls hosting the semifinals and the national championship set for January 25 in Las Vegas.
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| Bowl | Site | Projected quarterfinal |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton Bowl | Arlington, TX | (1) Notre Dame vs. 8/9 winner |
| Rose Bowl | Pasadena, CA | (2) Oregon vs. 7/10 winner |
| Fiesta Bowl | Glendale, AZ | (3) Indiana vs. 6/11 winner |
| Peach Bowl | Atlanta, GA | (4) Ohio State vs. 5/12 winner |
Full 2026 College Football Bowl Schedule and Projections
Beyond the playoff, our model slots every projected bowl-eligible team into the real published bowl lineup by conference tie-in. The full 2026 college football bowl schedule and our projected matchup for each game:
| Bowl | Projected matchup | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Citrus Bowl | Michigan vs. Oklahoma | Jan 2, 2027 |
| ReliaQuest Bowl | Penn State vs. Ole Miss | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Music City Bowl | USC vs. Tennessee | Dec 30, 2026 |
| Gator Bowl | SMU vs. Florida | Dec 30, 2026 |
| Alamo Bowl | BYU vs. Louisville | Dec 29, 2026 |
| Las Vegas Bowl | Missouri vs. Utah | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Pop-Tarts Bowl | Clemson vs. Houston | Dec 29, 2026 |
| Duke's Mayo Bowl | Virginia vs. Iowa | Dec 26, 2026 |
| Sun Bowl | Pitt vs. Kansas St | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Holiday Bowl | Florida St vs. Washington | TBD |
| Texas Bowl | Arizona vs. Auburn | Dec 31, 2026 |
| Liberty Bowl | Baylor vs. South Carolina | Jan 2, 2027 |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Virginia Tech vs. Illinois | Dec 26, 2026 |
| Cactus Bowl | Nebraska vs. TCU | Dec 26, 2026 |
| Birmingham Bowl | Wisconsin vs. South Florida | Dec 29, 2026 |
| Gasparilla Bowl | Tulane vs. Memphis | Dec 18, 2026 |
| Military Bowl | NC State vs. East Carolina | Dec 28, 2026 |
| Fenway Bowl | Georgia Tech vs. Navy | Dec 26, 2026 |
| First Responder Bowl | James Madison vs. UNLV | Jan 2, 2027 |
| Independence Bowl | Arizona St vs. Liberty | Dec 22, 2026 |
| Armed Forces Bowl | Oklahoma St vs. UTSA | Dec 23, 2026 |
| Hawaii Bowl | New Mexico vs. Hawai'i | Dec 24, 2026 |
| New Mexico Bowl | Old Dominion vs. Air Force | Dec 24, 2026 |
| Cure Bowl | Toledo vs. W Michigan | Dec 22, 2026 |
| Boca Raton Bowl | San Diego St vs. Army | Dec 18, 2026 |
| Frisco Bowl | Miami OH vs. Louisiana | Dec 23, 2026 |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | Marshall vs. Western KY | Dec 21, 2026 |
| 68 Ventures Bowl | Delaware vs. Troy | Dec 26, 2026 |
| Idaho Potato Bowl | Ohio vs. N Dakota St | Dec 21, 2026 |
| Poinsettia Bowl | Fresno St vs. California | TBD |
| Arizona Bowl | C Michigan vs. Wyoming | TBD |
| Puerto Rico Bowl | Buffalo vs. Texas St | Dec 22, 2026 |
| New Orleans Bowl | Jax State vs. Kennesaw St | Dec 23, 2026 |
| Frisco Football Classic | Arkansas St vs. FIU | Dec 15, 2026 |
| Salute to Veterans Bowl | Louisiana Tech vs. App State | Dec 15, 2026 |
Kickoff times and TV networks for every game are available in the interactive widget above. Dates, times and sites reflect the published bowl calendar; the matchups are RotoWire projections.
2026 Bowl Projections by Conference
The SEC is the story of our projection, placing 12 teams in the postseason and five in the Playoff — Texas, Georgia, Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M. The Big Ten lands 11 postseason teams and three of the four first-round byes in Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State.
The Big 12 sends 10 teams bowling, led by Playoff qualifier Texas Tech, while the ACC also places 11 — with champion Miami hosting a first-round Playoff game against Boise State. Among the Group of Six, Boise State is the lone Playoff representative, with the American, Sun Belt, Mountain West, MAC and Conference USA filling out the Group of Six and lower-tier bowls. Use the widget's By Conference tab to find any team's projected matchup instantly.
How These College Football Bowl Projections Are Made
Every team's projected record starts from a 50/50 blend of market season win totals (the consensus of DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM) and ESPN's Football Power Index projected wins. That gives each of the 138 FBS teams a projected win count and a power rating.
The rating stands in for the selection committee: it sets the Playoff seeding and the at-large order, while the win totals determine bowl eligibility. From there, eligible teams are slotted into the real published bowl tie-ins. Nothing is invented — where a team has no posted market number, it is flagged and modeled on FPI alone rather than estimated.
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2026 Bowl Projections FAQ
How many bowl games are there in college football in 2026-27?
There are 42 bowl games in the 2026-27 season, including the College Football Playoff. Our projection covers the 12-team Playoff plus all 35 non-playoff bowls.
When will the 2026 College Football Playoff bracket be announced?
The official 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is revealed on Selection Day in early December 2026, after conference championship weekend. First-round games follow on December 18–19.
Which Group of Six team is projected to make the College Football Playoff?
RotoWire's model projects Boise State as the Group of Six automatic qualifier and the No. 12 seed, as the highest-rated team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 and Sun Belt.
How are RotoWire's bowl projections calculated?
Each team's outlook is a 50/50 blend of market season win totals and ESPN FPI. That drives bowl eligibility and a power rating, which is then run through the 2026 Playoff rules and the published bowl tie-ins.
