The College Football Playoff has formally announced an expansion to 24 teams starting in 2027, but a projection based on the current CFP Rankings offers a glimpse of how the new format could shape the 2026 season. The expanded playoff would feature eight first-round byes, up from four, and eight first-round games played on the campus of the higher seed. The field would include the Power Four conference champions (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12), the highest-ranked Group of 6 team, and 19 at-large selections.
First-Round Matchups
Based on Tuesday night's CFP Rankings, the projected first-round games are:
9. Indiana vs. 24. Boise State (Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana)
10. BYU vs. 23. Arizona (LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah)
11. Kentucky vs. 22. Missouri (Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky)
12. Texas Tech vs. 21. LSU (Galaxy Stadium, Lubbock, Texas)
13. Wake Forest vs. 20. Ohio State (Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
14. Houston vs. 19. Ole Miss (TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas)
15. Iowa vs. 18. USC (Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa)
16. Oregon vs. 17. South Carolina (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon)
Second-Round Matchups
The second round, also on campus sites, would pair the top eight seeds with first-round winners:
1. Georgia vs. winner of 16/17 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)
2. Utah vs. winner of 15/18 (Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah)
3. Alabama vs. winner of 14/19 (Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
4. UCLA vs. winner of 13/20 (Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)
5. Notre Dame vs. winner of 12/21 (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana)
6. Texas vs. winner of 11/22 (Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas)
7. Miami vs. winner of 10/23 (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida)
8. Tennessee vs. winner of 9/24 (Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee)
Projected Quarterfinals and Beyond
Assuming higher seeds advance, the quarterfinals would feature Georgia vs. Tennessee, Utah vs. Miami, Alabama vs. Texas, and UCLA vs. Notre Dame. The semifinals would then be Georgia vs. UCLA and Utah vs. Alabama, leading to a projected national championship game between Georgia and Utah. The new format would require a team to win five games from the first round to the title, a longer postseason than any previous configuration.
