The College Football Playoff has formally announced expansion to 24 teams starting in 2027, but a projection based on the latest CFP rankings illustrates how the bracket would look if the format were in place for the 2026 season. The new structure will feature eight teams receiving first-round byes — up from four — and eight first-round games played on the campus of the higher seed. The field will consist of 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
All games on the campus of the higher seed:
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
All games on the campus of the higher seed:
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)
Quarterfinals (assuming highest seeds advance)
1. Georgia vs. 8. Tennessee
2. Utah vs. 7. Miami
3. Alabama vs. 6. Texas
4. UCLA vs. 5. Notre Dame
Semifinals
1. Georgia vs. 4. UCLA
2. Utah vs. 3. Alabama
CFP National Championship Game
1. Georgia vs. 2. Utah
The projection notes that the quarterfinal and later rounds mirror previous configurations, but the expanded format means a team would need to win five games from the first round to reach the title game — far longer than any previous postseason.
