College Football Playoff Bracket 2026-27
Projected CFB playoff bracket, First Round: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Alabama, No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 6 Kentucky, No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Texas and No. 9 BYU at No. 8 UCLA. Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana would have byes. Seeds 5 to 8 host the First Round on campus, the bracket is fixed with no reseeding, and it becomes official on Selection Day (Dec 6, 2026).
College Football Playoff Bracket: First Round to National Championship
Projected 2026-27 College Football Playoff Bracketplayoffswiki.com · Nov 10, 2026
First RoundDec 18-19 · on campus
QuarterfinalsDec 30 – Jan 1 · bowls
SemifinalsJan 14-15
From Miami, UCLA, or BYU
From Indiana, Alabama, or Boise State
From Georgia, Texas, or Ole Miss
From Utah, Kentucky, or Notre DameChampionshipJan 25 · Las Vegas
Projected from the latest CFP rankings; gold seeds have first-round byes. Fixed bracket, no reseeding.
One clean page for your office pool or watch party.
Projected First Round Matchups
- WhereOn campus at Alabama
- WhenDec 18 or 19 · kickoff and TV set on Selection Day
- NextWinner plays No. 4 Indiana in a quarterfinal bowl, Dec 30 or Jan 1
- WhereOn campus at UCLA
- WhenDec 18 or 19 · kickoff and TV set on Selection Day
- NextWinner plays No. 1 Miami in a quarterfinal bowl, Dec 30 or Jan 1
- WhereOn campus at Kentucky
- WhenDec 18 or 19 · kickoff and TV set on Selection Day
- NextWinner plays No. 3 Utah in a quarterfinal bowl, Dec 30 or Jan 1
- WhereOn campus at Texas
- WhenDec 18 or 19 · kickoff and TV set on Selection Day
- NextWinner plays No. 2 Georgia in a quarterfinal bowl, Dec 30 or Jan 1
How the College Football Playoff Bracket Is Built
Seeds 1-12
Straight from the final CFP ranking, after the five automatic bids are placed. Seeds 1 to 4 have byes.
First Round
On campus: 5 v 12, 6 v 11, 7 v 10 and 8 v 9, Dec 18-19.
No reseeding
No. 1 meets the 8/9 winner, No. 4 the 5/12 winner, No. 3 the 6/11 winner and No. 2 the 7/10 winner, then the halves meet in the semifinals.
Title game
Monday, Jan 25, 2027 at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, on ABC and ESPN.
The College Football playoff bracket above is projected from the latest CFP rankings and becomes the official bracket on Selection Day, Sunday, Dec 6. For dates and kickoff times see the playoff schedule; to see who is still fighting for these spots, open the playoff picture, or pick your own bracket.
College Football playoff bracket FAQ
When does the CFP bracket come out?
The official College Football Playoff bracket is revealed on Selection Day, Sunday, Dec 6, from noon ET on ESPN. Until then the bracket here is projected from the weekly CFP rankings; the next rankings come out Tuesday, Nov 10 at 9 PM ET.
Is the College Football Playoff bracket set?
Not yet. The 12 teams and their seeds are set on Selection Day, Dec 6; until then this projected bracket changes every week with the CFP rankings and the results.
Is the CFP bracket reseeded?
No. No. 1 plays the 8/9 winner, No. 2 the 7/10 winner, No. 3 the 6/11 winner and No. 4 the 5/12 winner, and the bracket stays fixed.
Who gets a first-round bye?
The four highest-ranked teams in the final CFP rankings, whether or not they won their conference (straight seeding, used since 2025).
Where are First Round games played?
On campus: seeds 5, 6, 7 and 8 host seeds 12, 11, 10 and 9. Every later game is at a neutral bowl site.
Which bowls host the quarterfinals and semifinals?
Quarterfinals: Fiesta Bowl (Dec 30) and the Cotton, Rose and Peach Bowls (Jan 1). Semifinals: Orange Bowl (Jan 14) and Sugar Bowl (Jan 15).
When and where is the 2027 national championship?
Monday, Jan 25, 2027 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, 7:30 PM ET on ABC and ESPN. It is the first title game played in Las Vegas.