College Football Playoff 2026: Athlon’s Way-Too-Early Picks and Predictions

NCAAF College Football
January 29, 2026
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College football’s second 12-team playoff is in the books after Indiana defeated Miami on on Jan. 19. And with top 25 rankings released for 2026, it’s never too early to examine how the 12-team College Football Playoff field could stack up next year. With the Hoosiers winning it all, the Big Ten has claimed three national championships in a row and is primed for another run at a title with a couple of teams picked near the top of most early polls.

After an extended debate, the playoff will not expand beyond 12 teams for ’26. However, a couple of tweaks are slated for next year’s field. If Notre Dame is ranked inside of the top 12 in the final selection committee top 25, the Fighting Irish will receive an automatic bid to the playoff. Each of the four power conference champions are now guaranteed a spot. Additionally, the playoff bid going to the highest-ranked Group of 6 team does not have be a conference champion – a change from previous years.

Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, and Indiana take the top spots in Athlon’s way-too-early playoff projections for ’26. The Buckeyes, Bulldogs, Miami, and Texas Tech earn spots as projected conference champions. Texas, Indiana, Oregon, and Notre Dame headline the top at-large teams, with Boise State taking the spot for the highest-ranked team from the Group of 6 conference champions.

With rosters still taking shape for the 2026 college football season, these projections and predictions are going to look a lot different by the spring and into the summer. However, with the way-too-early rankings already released, it’s never too early to peek ahead at how the new format will look next fall:

College Football 12-Team Playoff Projections for 2026

Way-Too-Early 2026 Rankings: Top 25 | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. Ben Lonergan / Imagn Images

Projected Top 12 Teams and Seeding

Top 12 and just missed teams recorded from Athlon Sports Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2026

These projections are likely to change significantly by the summer, but this early prediction has eight of the 12 teams from ’25 making the field again in ’26.

1. Ohio State (Projected Big Ten Champion)
2. Georgia (Projected SEC Champion)
3. Texas
4. Indiana
5. Oregon
6. Notre Dame
7. Texas A&M
8. Miami (Projected ACC Champion)
9. Texas Tech (Projected Big 12 Champion)
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. Boise State (Projected Pac-12 Champion)

The Next Tier of Contenders: Michigan, Ole Miss, BYU, Alabama, USC, Washington, Utah, Tennessee, Houston, Louisville, SMU, Penn State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Florida, Missouri, South Carolina, Arizona, Arizona State, Navy, James Madison, Tulane, Clemson, and Illinois

First-Round Matchups

First-round games will be placed on campus sites of highest seed. Matchups will take place from Dec. 18-19.

No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Boise State (Eugene, Ore.)
No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 LSU (South Bend, Ind.)
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Oklahoma (College Station, Texas)
No. 8 Miami vs. No. 9 Texas Tech (Miami Gardens, Fla.)

Second-Round Matchups

Second-round games will be played at bowl sites and will take place from Dec. 31-Jan. 1. Projections using highest-ranked team as winner from first-round matchups.

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Miami (Rose Bowl)
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (Sugar Bowl)
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (Fiesta Bowl)
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon (Peach Bowl)

College Football Playoff Semifinals

Semifinal games will be played at bowl sites. Matchups are tentatively scheduled for Jan. 7-8.

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Indiana (Cotton Bowl)
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Texas (Orange Bowl)

College Football Playoff National Championship

Jan. 25, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Way-Too-Early Projection: Ohio State vs. Georgia

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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