nextsnap
About and data sources Suggest an improvement
season, through week 6

If the season plays out

Not official.These are projections from this site's own model, built on its power index. They are not the playoff committee's rankings or any bowl's actual selections, and early in the season they move a lot from week to week.

Every game left goes to the team the model favors, then each conference's top two meet in a title game. Change any result in the what-if section and the field is rebuilt.

Projected national champion Georgia Wins the title in 26% of this bracket's outcomes.
Georgia26%
Alabama25%
Notre Dame21%
BYU10%
Ohio State6%

What if

Pick the winner of any game that has not been played. The rankings, the playoff field, the bracket and the bowls on this page are rebuilt around your results. Click a pick again to clear it.

Week 66 games
Week 719 games
Week 816 games
Week 920 games
Week 1017 games
Week 1121 games
Week 1220 games, 1 set
Week 1322 games

The percentage is each team's chance to win as the model sees it. The small number is this page's ranking. Your results change records and strength of record. They do not change how good the model thinks a team is.

12-team playoff bracket

First round

at LSUDec 18 or 19
8 LSU 64%
9 Indiana 36%
at Ohio StateDec 18 or 19
5 Ohio State 85%
12 James Madison 15%
at UtahDec 18 or 19
7 Utah 70%
10 UCLA 30%
at MiamiDec 18 or 19
6 Miami 74%
11 Missouri 26%

Quarterfinals

Peach BowlJan 1
1 Alabama 70%
8 LSU 31%
Rose BowlJan 1
4 BYU 54%
5 Ohio State 46%
Cotton BowlJan 1
2 Georgia 73%
7 Utah 27%
Fiesta BowlDec 30
3 Notre Dame 66%
6 Miami 34%

Semifinals

Sugar BowlJan 15
1 Alabama 63%
4 BYU 37%
Orange BowlJan 14
2 Georgia 53%
3 Notre Dame 47%

Championship

Las VegasJan 25
1 Alabama 49%
2 Georgia 51%
WinnerGeorgia

The percentage is each team's chance in that game. The favorite advances. The top four seeds get a first-round bye, and lower seeds play at the higher seed's stadium in the first round. Quarterfinal and semifinal sites are the real ones for the 2026 season, handed out here by region.

The field

SeedTeamRecordHow they got inReach semifinalReach finalWin title
1 Alabama 12-0 At-large 72% 46% 25%
2 Georgia 11-1 SEC champion 76% 44% 26%
3 Notre Dame 11-1 Ranked in the top 12 70% 37% 21%
4 BYU 11-1 Big 12 champion 58% 25% 10%
5 Ohio State 11-1 Big Ten champion 40% 16% 6%
6 Miami 11-1 ACC champion 26% 10% 4%
7 Utah 11-1 At-large 19% 6% 2%
8 LSU 10-2 At-large 20% 9% 3%
9 Indiana 11-1 At-large 9% 3% <1%
10 UCLA 12-0 At-large 5% 1% <1%
11 Missouri 10-2 At-large 5% 1% <1%
12 James Madison 12-0 Sun Belt champion 2% <1% Out

First four out: Texas (9-3), Houston (10-2), Nebraska (10-2), Mississippi State (9-3). The four power conference champions and the best champion from the other six conferences are in automatically. Notre Dame is in if it is ranked in the top 12. Seeds follow the ranking straight down.

Conference champions

ACCMiamibeats SMU in the title game
AmericanEast Carolinabeats Memphis in the title game
Big 12BYUbeats Utah in the title game
Big TenOhio Statebeats UCLA in the title game
Conference USALibertybeats Jacksonville State in the title game
MACToledobeats Western Michigan in the title game
Mountain WestNorth Dakota Statebeats New Mexico in the title game
Pac-12Boise Statebeats Oregon State in the title game
SECGeorgiabeats Alabama in the title game
Sun BeltJames Madisonbeats Georgia State in the title game

Bowl projections

Citrus BowlJan 2, Orlando
Texas9-3 51%
Nebraska10-2 49%

Pick: Texas in a toss-up

ReliaQuest BowlDec 31, Tampa
Mississippi State9-3 50%
Pittsburgh10-2 50%

Pick: Mississippi State in a toss-up

Alamo BowlDec 29, San Antonio
Houston10-2 70%
Boise State10-1 31%

Pick: Houston by 7

Pop-Tarts BowlDec 29, Orlando
SMU11-1 34%
Arizona10-2 66%

Pick: Arizona by 6

Gator BowlDec 30, Jacksonville
Oklahoma8-4 55%
Wake Forest10-2 45%

Pick: Oklahoma by 2

Holiday BowlDec 28, San Diego
Virginia Tech8-4 54%
Oregon State8-3 46%

Pick: Virginia Tech by 1

Las Vegas BowlDec 31, Las Vegas
Iowa10-2 68%
Fresno State7-4 32%

Pick: Iowa by 6

Texas BowlDec 31, Houston
Texas Tech10-2 61%
Tennessee9-3 39%

Pick: Texas Tech by 4

Music City BowlDec 30, Nashville
Florida7-5 39%
Oregon8-4 61%

Pick: Oregon by 4

Duke's Mayo BowlDec 26, Charlotte
Louisville7-5 41%
USC8-4 59%

Pick: USC by 3

Liberty BowlJan 2, Memphis
Baylor8-4 58%
Ole Miss6-6 42%

Pick: Baylor by 3

Sun BowlDec 31, El Paso
Florida State6-6 55%
Texas State6-5 45%

Pick: Florida State by 2

Pinstripe BowlDec 26, New York
Virginia7-5 38%
Northwestern8-4 62%

Pick: Northwestern by 4

Cactus BowlDec 26, Tempe
Wisconsin8-4 32%
Kansas7-5 68%

Pick: Kansas by 7

Military BowlDec 28, Annapolis
Duke7-5 43%
Memphis10-2 57%

Pick: Memphis by 3

Fenway BowlDec 26, Boston
NC State7-5 32%
East Carolina9-3 68%

Pick: East Carolina by 6

Independence BowlDec 22, Shreveport
Kansas State9-3 48%
Liberty11-1 52%

Pick: Liberty by 1

Birmingham BowlDec 29, Birmingham
Kentucky6-6 61%
UTSA10-2 39%

Pick: Kentucky by 4

Gasparilla BowlDec 18, Tampa
Clemson6-6 39%
Jacksonville State10-2 61%

Pick: Jacksonville State by 4

First Responder BowlJan 2, Dallas
Oklahoma State7-5 67%
North Texas8-4 33%

Pick: Oklahoma State by 6

Armed Forces BowlDec 23, Fort Worth
UCF6-6 61%
Florida Atlantic8-4 39%

Pick: UCF by 4

Poinsettia BowlDec 23, San Diego
North Dakota State11-1 58%
Georgia State10-2 42%

Pick: North Dakota State by 3

Hawaii BowlDec 24, Honolulu
New Mexico11-1 69%
South Florida8-4 31%

Pick: New Mexico by 7

New Mexico BowlDec 24, Albuquerque
Air Force10-2 65%
Tulsa8-4 35%

Pick: Air Force by 6

Arizona BowlDate not set, Tucson
Toledo10-2 56%
UNLV7-5 44%

Pick: Toledo by 2

Famous Idaho Potato BowlDec 21, Boise
Western Michigan9-3 21%
Louisiana10-2 79%

Pick: Louisiana by 12

68 Ventures BowlDec 26, Mobile
Louisiana Tech9-3 47%
Sam Houston7-5 53%

Pick: Sam Houston by 1

New Orleans BowlDec 23, New Orleans
Troy7-5 54%
Florida International7-5 46%

Pick: Troy by 1

Salute to Veterans BowlDec 15, Montgomery
App State7-5 55%
Ohio8-4 45%

Pick: App State by 2

Myrtle Beach BowlDec 21, Conway
Marshall6-6 18%
Navy6-6 82%

Pick: Navy by 14

Cure BowlDec 22, Orlando
Miami (OH)8-4 69%
San José State6-7 31%

Pick: Miami (OH) by 7

Boca Raton BowlDec 18, Boca Raton
Massachusetts8-4 64%
Eastern Michigan6-6 36%

Pick: Massachusetts by 5

Frisco BowlDec 23, Frisco
Michigan6-6 75%
Cincinnati6-6 25%

Pick: Michigan by 10

Puerto Rico BowlDec 22, Bayamón
Penn State8-4 73%
UConn7-5 27%

Pick: Penn State by 9

Frisco Football ClassicDec 15, Frisco
Auburn5-7 61%
Texas A&M5-7 39%

Pick: Auburn by 4

Teams need six wins to qualify. Each bowl takes the best team left from the conferences it has a deal with. When a conference runs out of teams, the best team left from anywhere fills the spot. Real selections also weigh travel, rematches and ticket sales, which this does not.

Record projections

RankTeamRecordProjectedExpected winsChance of 6 winsChance to win out
1 Alabama 5-0 11-1 11.0 >99% 29%
2 Georgia 5-0 11-1 11.1 >99% 30%
3 Notre Dame 6-1 10-2 10.2 >99% 36%
4 BYU 5-0 10-2 10.4 >99% 13%
5 Ohio State 5-1 10-2 9.6 >99% 18%
6 Miami 5-0 11-1 10.8 >99% 16%
7 Utah 4-0 10-2 10.1 >99% 10%
8 LSU 4-1 9-3 9.3 >99% 12%
9 Indiana 6-0 11-1 10.7 >99% 20%
10 UCLA 5-0 11-1 10.8 >99% 24%
11 Missouri 5-1 9-3 8.9 >99% 3%
12 Texas 4-1 9-3 8.8 >99% 4%
13 Houston 5-1 10-2 9.5 >99% 13%
14 Nebraska 5-1 9-3 9.4 >99% 11%
15 Mississippi State 4-1 9-3 8.6 >99% 2%
16 Arizona 5-1 9-3 9.1 >99% 8%
17 Pittsburgh 5-1 9-3 9.4 >99% 8%
18 James Madison 5-0 11-1 10.9 >99% 29%
19 SMU 5-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 11%
20 Texas Tech 5-0 10-2 9.5 >99% 4%
21 Oklahoma 3-2 7-5 7.4 95% 2%
22 Iowa 5-1 9-3 8.9 >99% 6%
23 Boise State 4-1 9-2 8.9 >99% 26%
24 Wake Forest 5-1 10-2 9.7 >99% 20%
25 North Dakota State 5-0 11-1 11.0 >99% 26%
26 New Mexico 4-1 10-2 9.8 >99% 24%
27 Oregon 3-2 7-5 7.2 93% 1%
28 Liberty 5-1 10-2 10.5 >99% 57%
29 USC 5-1 8-4 7.6 98% <1%
30 Baylor 4-1 7-5 7.4 95% <1%
31 Kansas 2-3 6-6 6.0 68% <1%
32 Tennessee 5-1 8-4 7.8 99% <1%
33 Kansas State 4-2 7-5 7.4 95% 3%
34 Georgia State 4-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 9%
35 Northwestern 4-1 8-4 7.9 99% <1%
36 Memphis 4-1 9-3 8.7 >99% 5%
37 Oregon State 4-2 7-4 7.4 99% 11%
38 Wisconsin 4-1 8-4 7.9 98% <1%
39 Florida 4-2 7-5 6.6 84% <1%
40 Air Force 3-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 9%
41 East Carolina 3-2 8-4 8.1 99% 9%
42 Virginia Tech 4-2 8-4 7.7 99% 2%
43 Louisiana 4-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 8%
44 Michigan 3-2 7-5 6.7 87% <1%
45 Ole Miss 4-1 7-5 6.8 90% <1%
46 UTSA 5-1 8-4 8.4 >99% 3%
47 Oklahoma State 4-1 8-4 7.6 96% <1%
48 Jacksonville State 4-2 9-3 8.8 >99% 25%
49 UCF 3-3 6-6 5.8 61% <1%
50 Penn State 3-2 7-5 7.2 92% 2%
51 Louisville 3-3 7-5 6.8 88% 5%
52 Louisiana Tech 2-2 8-4 7.7 96% 5%
53 Kentucky 4-1 7-5 6.7 84% <1%
54 Toledo 4-2 8-4 8.4 >99% 14%
55 Auburn 3-2 6-6 5.7 58% <1%
56 Fresno State 4-1 8-3 7.9 >99% 6%
57 North Texas 4-2 8-4 7.8 98% 5%
58 Florida State 3-3 6-6 5.7 57% <1%
59 Florida Atlantic 4-1 8-4 7.8 97% 1%
60 South Florida 4-2 8-4 7.9 99% 5%
61 Cincinnati 4-1 6-6 6.3 76% <1%
62 Virginia 3-2 7-5 6.5 80% <1%
63 Duke 4-1 7-5 7.2 94% <1%
64 Tulsa 3-3 7-5 6.8 88% 5%
65 Texas A&M 3-3 5-7 5.3 42% <1%
66 Texas State 2-3 6-5 5.6 55% 2%
67 Sam Houston 1-4 6-6 6.3 81% 12%
68 NC State 3-3 6-6 6.3 76% 2%
69 Clemson 3-2 7-5 6.6 83% <1%
70 Navy 2-3 6-6 5.7 58% <1%
71 Western Michigan 4-2 8-4 7.5 97% 2%
72 Purdue 2-3 4-8 4.4 17% <1%
73 UNLV 3-2 7-5 7.1 95% <1%
74 Syracuse 2-2 5-7 5.5 50% <1%
75 Troy 3-2 7-5 6.6 84% <1%
76 Ohio 4-2 8-4 7.7 97% 4%
77 Miami (OH) 3-3 7-5 7.1 93% 9%
78 TCU 2-3 4-8 4.4 17% <1%
79 Arizona State 2-2 5-7 4.8 25% <1%
80 Michigan State 2-4 4-8 4.3 12% <1%
81 Massachusetts 4-2 8-4 8.1 >99% 6%
82 Iowa State 3-3 5-7 4.7 23% <1%
83 App State 3-2 7-5 6.8 88% <1%
84 Florida International 3-2 7-5 6.7 86% <1%
85 UConn 3-3 6-6 6.0 68% <1%
86 Vanderbilt 3-3 5-7 4.8 20% <1%
87 Minnesota 4-1 6-6 5.9 63% <1%
88 Maryland 2-4 5-7 4.9 30% <1%
89 South Carolina 3-3 5-7 5.0 30% <1%
90 North Carolina 3-2 5-7 5.5 49% <1%
91 Georgia Southern 2-3 5-7 5.3 42% <1%
92 Colorado 2-3 4-8 4.3 15% <1%
93 Illinois 3-3 4-8 4.2 9% <1%
94 Washington 3-3 5-7 4.5 16% <1%
95 Temple 2-4 5-7 4.8 24% <1%
96 California 3-3 5-7 4.6 16% <1%
97 Army 3-2 6-6 5.6 53% <1%
98 Georgia Tech 2-3 4-8 3.6 3% <1%
99 Eastern Michigan 4-3 6-6 6.4 80% 2%
100 West Virginia 3-3 4-8 3.9 3% <1%
101 Arkansas State 2-4 5-7 4.9 29% <1%
102 UAB 3-2 6-6 5.7 53% <1%
103 Utah State 2-4 4-7 3.5 2% <1%
104 Marshall 3-2 6-6 5.9 61% <1%
105 Kennesaw State 1-4 4-8 4.3 15% <1%
106 Boston College 2-3 3-9 3.4 2% <1%
107 Sacramento State 1-5 4-8 4.4 17% 3%
108 Central Michigan 3-3 6-6 5.9 63% 1%
109 San José State 3-3 6-7 5.7 57% <1%
110 New Mexico State 2-4 4-8 4.1 9% <1%
111 Stanford 2-4 4-8 3.7 2% <1%
112 Delaware 2-3 5-7 5.1 36% <1%
113 Arkansas 2-4 3-9 2.6 <1% <1%
114 Tulane 2-3 5-7 4.8 26% <1%
115 Old Dominion 2-4 4-8 4.4 16% <1%
116 Colorado State 2-3 4-7 3.8 4% <1%
117 Wyoming 3-3 5-7 5.1 31% <1%
118 San Diego State 2-4 4-7 3.6 2% <1%
119 Rice 1-5 3-9 3.0 1% <1%
120 South Alabama 4-2 6-6 5.8 61% <1%
121 Hawai'i 1-4 4-8 3.6 3% <1%
122 Washington State 1-5 2-9 2.2 <1% <1%
123 Rutgers 1-4 2-10 1.9 <1% <1%
124 Kent State 2-4 4-8 3.8 6% <1%
125 Southern Miss 1-4 3-9 3.2 2% <1%
126 Buffalo 3-3 6-6 5.5 50% <1%
127 Ball State 1-5 3-9 3.2 2% <1%
128 Coastal Carolina 1-4 3-9 2.8 <1% <1%
129 Middle Tennessee 2-3 4-8 4.1 10% <1%
130 Western Kentucky 2-4 3-9 3.4 2% <1%
131 Nevada 1-3 3-9 3.3 2% <1%
132 Northern Illinois 0-4 2-10 2.4 <1% <1%
133 Missouri State 1-4 3-9 2.7 <1% <1%
134 Akron 1-5 3-9 2.7 <1% <1%
135 Bowling Green 2-4 3-9 3.4 2% <1%
136 UL Monroe 0-5 1-11 1.3 <1% <1%
137 UTEP 1-4 2-10 2.1 <1% <1%
138 Charlotte 0-6 0-12 0.4 <1% <1%

Rank is this page's committee-style ranking: half the power index, half strength of record. Projected is the record a team is most likely to finish near, from its chance in each remaining game. Bowls and playoff games are not counted in these records, and a conference title game counts only once it is on the schedule.

Next Snap just launched. If a page takes a moment to load the first time, give it a few seconds. It speeds right up after that.