2026 Bowl Projections After Week Two

The second weekend of college football has come and gone, and with it came some surprises. In addition, we had quite the comeback down in Austin between two of our top squads. As a result, our playoff teams got a bit of a shakeup this week. Elsewhere, Michigan put the controversy of the Western Michigan behind them and beat Oklahoma. One more thing, Boise State cemented their status as our Group of Six team by defeating Memphis. With the preliminaries out of the way, let’s get to why you’re here: the 2026 bowl projections after week two. To see what changed from last week, click here.

Once again this year, we have a 12-team playoff with the top four still getting a first-round bye. However, the winners of the Power Four conferences don’t automatically get slots 1-4. In addition, the highest-ranked Group of Five team receives a bid. That leaves seven at-large teams. Once again, seeds 5-8 host first-round games on campus. The New Year’s Six bowls are introduced for the next round and the semifinals. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas hosts the title game on January 25th. With the formalities out of the way, let’s get to our 2026 bowl projections after week two.

Friday, December 18th- Oxford, Mississippi (9) Texas Tech vs. (8) Ole Miss– The Rebels had no trouble with Charlotte, winning 41-9. Trinidad Chambliss was a very efficient 23-of-26 passer for 225 yards and two touchdowns. They host LSU in the weekend’s biggest game. On the other side of the ball, the Red Raiders struggled with Oregon State on the road before winning 35-24.

Saturday, December 19th – Columbus, Ohio (11) SMU vs. (6) Ohio State- We left the Buckeyes where they were after their loss to Texas.  However, the way they lost must have been upsetting to the Buckeye faithful, blowing a 20-3 lead. The Mustangs easily beat UC-Davis 56-10 and travel to Louisville for a huge ACC game.

Saturday, December 19th- Bloomington, Indiana- (10) BYU at (7) Indiana– The Cougars join our top 12 this week after Oregon’s shocking loss at Oklahoma State. They’ll face a surprising Colorado State team on the road. As expected, the Hoosiers had no trouble with Howard, winning 55-10. Anything can happen, but you have to like their chances at being 6-0 when Ohio State comes to town.

Saturday, December 19th- Baton Rouge, Louisiana- (12) Boise State at (5) LSU– The Broncos outscored Memphis 21-0 in the second half on their way to a 38-20 win. As a result, they remain our Group of Six team. Lane Kiffin’s squad led Louisiana Tech 10-3 at the half. However, they woke up in the second and eventually won 45-14. Again, the matchup with Ole Miss is the biggest of week three.

Wednesday, December 30th- VRBO Fiesta Bowl- (5) LSU vs. (4) Georgia- The Bulldogs had no trouble with Western Kentucky, winning 70-20. They move up a spot into the top four. These two teams don’t play in the regular season unless they meet in the SEC Championship.

Friday, January 1st- Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl- (8) Ole Miss vs. (1) Miami– We’re picking the Rebels to get past Texas Tech. Darian Mensah built on his Heisman case by throwing for 252 yards and three scores in a 73-3 win over Florida A&M. Their competition picks up this week when they travel to Wake Forest.

Friday, January 1st- Rose Bowl Presented By Prudential- (6) Ohio State vs. (3) Notre Dame- This is the only game that remained unchanged from last week.

Friday, January 1st- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic- (7) Indiana vs. (2) Texas– It was quite the second half for Arch Manning and the Longhorns rallying to win 24-23 over Ohio State and avenge last year’s loss in Columbus. These two haven’t met since 1966, with Texas leading 3-0 all-time.

That’s a lot to digest, but there’s still plenty more to come as we roll on with our 2026 bowl projections after week two.

Thursday, January 14th- Capital One Orange Bowl- (4) Georgia vs. (1) Miami– We are picking the Bulldogs to get past LSU and face the Hurricanes.

Friday, January 15th- Allstate Sugar Bowl- (3) Notre Dame vs. (2) Texas– The Fighting Irish get past Ohio State to set up a semifinal showdown with the Longhorns.

Monday, January 25th- College Football National Championship- (2) Texas vs. (1) Miami– We remain unchanged from the preseason with our championship game pick.

That takes care of the playoffs, but there’s still tons more to go. Let’s get to the rest of the bowl games with our 2026 bowl projections after week two.

As you are probably well aware, there was some conference reshuffling this year with the Pac-12 and Mountain West. We also said goodbye to some games and added others. The Bahamas, LA, and GameAbove Sports Bowls are no more. Furthermore, the Xbox Bowl became a one-and-done contest. The returning Frisco Football Classic is replacing it. Joining the schedule this year are the Puerto Rico Bowl and the Poinsettia Bowl, which returns after a 10-year absence. It will be the second game played in San Diego. Currently, it’s scheduled to be the Pac-12 versus the Mountain West. As a result, you could get an old and a new Pac-12 school playing each other.

Once again this year, legacy Pac-12 schools will remain with those conference tie-ins. For example, Utah would go to one of those sponsored games rather than a Big 12 one, assuming they don’t make the playoff. In addition, the NCAA eliminated the rule requiring you to wait at least a year before becoming bowl-eligible. That means both North Dakota State and Sacramento State can play in a bowl this season. Finally, since it’s an even-numbered year, the SEC plays in the Las Vegas Bowl and the Big Ten in the Mayo.

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: January 2nd- Big Ten vs. SEC- Alabama vs. Penn State- The Crimson Tide outscored Kentucky 32-0 in the second half to pull away after trailing by four at halftime. They remain one of our first teams out.

Reliaquest Bowl: December 31st- SEC vs. Big Ten- Tennessee vs. Michigan- That was quite the recovery by the Wolverines, who knocked off Oklahoma.

Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl: December 31st- ACC/Notre Dame vs. Pac-12- California vs. Utah*- The Utes go to El Paso as a legacy Pac-12 member.

Las Vegas Bowl: December 31st- SEC vs. Pac-12- Texas A&M vs. Arizona State– *The Sun Devils go as a legacy Pac-12 team.

That’s our first group of picks. As we move along with our 2026 bowl projections after week two, let’s move to the contests after the big holiday.

Cactus Bowl – December 26th: Big Ten vs. Big 12 – Illinois vs. TCU – The former Rate Bowl is renamed the Cactus Bowl for 2026.

Trust & Will Holiday Bowl- ACC vs. Pac-12- USC* vs. Virginia-  The Trojans are another team who is just out of the playoff this week. As a result, they go to San Diego as a legacy Pac-12 squad.

Valero Alamo Bowl: December 29th- Big 12 vs. Pac-12- Houston vs. Oregon*– The Ducks loss to Oklahoma State knocks them out of the playoff. They now go to San Antonio as a legacy Pac-12 member.

We are moving right along with our 2026 bowl projections after week two. Time now for the opening contests of bowl season.

As we wrap up our 2026 bowl projections after week two, let’s move to the games before the big holiday. One thing you’ll notice is that there are a lot more games before Christmas this year.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: December 21st- Mountain West vs. MAC- North Dakota State vs. Toledo- We do indeed have the Bison making a bowl in their first season at the FBS level.

Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: December 23rd- AAC/CUSA/MAC/MWC/SBC- Air Force  vs. UCLA+-

SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl- Pac-12 vs. Mountain West- San Diego State vs. Washington +- We have an old Pac-12 school filling the void with no Mountain West team available.

Thanks for checking out our 2026 bowl projections after week two here at Last Word On College Football.