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

If bowl season started today

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.

Uses only the games played so far, plus any results you set in the what-if section. 457 games are still to be played.

Projected national champion Notre Dame Wins the title in 26% of this bracket's outcomes. Game by game, the favorites' path ends with Georgia.
Notre Dame26%
Georgia26%
Alabama23%
BYU7%
Miami7%

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 68 games
Week 718 games, 1 set
Week 815 games, 1 set
Week 919 games
Week 1015 games
Week 1120 games
Week 1220 games, 1 set
Week 1321 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 UtahDec 18 or 19
8 Utah 70%
9 UCLA 30%
at BYUDec 18 or 19
5 BYU 87%
12 James Madison 13%
at MiamiDec 18 or 19
7 Miami 74%
10 Missouri 26%
at TexasDec 18 or 19
6 Texas 49%
11 Ohio State 51%

Quarterfinals

Peach BowlJan 1
1 Alabama 71%
8 Utah 29%
Cotton BowlJan 1
4 Georgia 65%
5 BYU 35%
Rose BowlJan 1
2 Indiana 40%
7 Miami 60%
Fiesta BowlDec 30
3 Notre Dame 65%
11 Ohio State 35%

Semifinals

Sugar BowlJan 15
1 Alabama 46%
4 Georgia 54%
Orange BowlJan 14
7 Miami 34%
3 Notre Dame 66%

Championship

Las VegasJan 25
4 Georgia 53%
3 Notre Dame 47%
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 5-0 SEC champion 74% 38% 23%
2 Indiana 8-0 Big Ten champion 44% 14% 4%
3 Notre Dame 6-0 Ranked in the top 12 69% 49% 26%
4 Georgia 5-0 At-large 68% 41% 26%
5 BYU 5-0 Big 12 champion 31% 14% 7%
6 Texas 4-0 At-large 13% 7% 2%
7 Miami 5-0 ACC champion 45% 18% 7%
8 Utah 4-0 At-large 20% 6% 2%
9 UCLA 5-0 At-large 6% 1% <1%
10 Missouri 6-1 At-large 10% 2% <1%
11 Ohio State 4-2 At-large 18% 10% 4%
12 James Madison 5-0 Sun Belt champion 1% <1% Out

First four out: Texas Tech (5-0), Mississippi State (4-1), Houston (5-1), LSU (4-1). 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

ACCMiami3-0 in conference
AmericanUTSA2-0 in conference
Big 12BYU3-0 in conference
Big TenIndiana5-0 in conference
Conference USALiberty2-0 in conference
MACEastern Michigan3-0 in conference
Mountain WestNorth Dakota State2-0 in conference
Pac-12Boise State1-0 in conference
SECAlabama3-0 in conference
Sun BeltJames Madison2-0 in conference

Bowl projections

Citrus BowlJan 2, Orlando
Mississippi State4-1 43%
Nebraska5-1 57%

Pick: Nebraska by 3

ReliaQuest BowlDec 31, Tampa
LSU4-1 80%
Wake Forest5-1 20%

Pick: LSU by 12

Alamo BowlDec 29, San Antonio
Texas Tech5-0 51%
Boise State4-1 49%

Pick: Texas Tech in a toss-up

Pop-Tarts BowlDec 29, Orlando
Pittsburgh5-1 42%
Houston5-1 57%

Pick: Houston by 3

Gator BowlDec 30, Jacksonville
Oklahoma2-2 67%
SMU4-1 33%

Pick: Oklahoma by 6

Holiday BowlDec 28, San Diego
Duke4-1 57%
Fresno State4-1 43%

Pick: Duke by 3

Las Vegas BowlDec 31, Las Vegas
Iowa5-1 47%
Oregon State3-2 53%

Pick: Oregon State by 1

Texas BowlDec 31, Houston
Arizona5-1 69%
Ole Miss4-1 31%

Pick: Arizona by 7

Music City BowlDec 30, Nashville
Tennessee4-1 39%
USC5-1 61%

Pick: USC by 4

Duke's Mayo BowlDec 26, Charlotte
Virginia Tech4-2 55%
Wisconsin4-1 45%

Pick: Virginia Tech by 2

Liberty BowlJan 2, Memphis
Oklahoma State4-1 63%
Kentucky4-2 37%

Pick: Oklahoma State by 5

Sun BowlDec 31, El Paso
Clemson3-2 29%
North Dakota State5-0 71%

Pick: North Dakota State by 8

Pinstripe BowlDec 26, New York
North Carolina3-2 25%
Northwestern4-1 75%

Pick: Northwestern by 9

Cactus BowlDec 26, Tempe
Oregon3-2 54%
Baylor4-1 46%

Pick: Oregon by 1

Military BowlDec 28, Annapolis
Florida State3-3 55%
UTSA5-1 45%

Pick: Florida State by 2

Fenway BowlDec 26, Boston
Syracuse2-2 42%
Memphis4-1 58%

Pick: Memphis by 3

Independence BowlDec 22, Shreveport
Kansas2-2 62%
Liberty5-1 38%

Pick: Kansas by 4

Birmingham BowlDec 29, Birmingham
Florida4-2 53%
East Carolina3-2 47%

Pick: Florida by 1

Gasparilla BowlDec 18, Tampa
Auburn3-2 60%
Florida Atlantic4-1 40%

Pick: Auburn by 4

First Responder BowlJan 2, Dallas
Cincinnati4-1 48%
North Texas4-2 52%

Pick: North Texas by 1

Armed Forces BowlDec 23, Fort Worth
Kansas State3-2 64%
Jacksonville State4-2 36%

Pick: Kansas State by 5

Poinsettia BowlDec 23, San Diego
New Mexico4-1 58%
Georgia State4-1 42%

Pick: New Mexico by 3

Hawaii BowlDec 24, Honolulu
Air Force3-1 56%
South Florida4-2 44%

Pick: Air Force by 2

New Mexico BowlDec 24, Albuquerque
UNLV3-2 54%
Army3-2 46%

Pick: UNLV by 1

Arizona BowlDate not set, Tucson
Toledo4-2 50%
Minnesota4-1 50%

Pick: Toledo in a toss-up

Famous Idaho Potato BowlDec 21, Boise
Ohio4-2 26%
Louisiana4-1 74%

Pick: Louisiana by 9

68 Ventures BowlDec 26, Mobile
Louisiana Tech2-2 63%
Florida International3-2 37%

Pick: Louisiana Tech by 5

New Orleans BowlDec 23, New Orleans
Troy3-2 17%
Michigan3-3 83%

Pick: Michigan by 14

Salute to Veterans BowlDec 15, Montgomery
App State3-2 60%
Western Michigan4-2 40%

Pick: App State by 4

Myrtle Beach BowlDec 21, Conway
UCF3-3 79%
UAB3-2 21%

Pick: UCF by 11

Cure BowlDec 22, Orlando
Penn State3-2 62%
Arizona State2-2 38%

Pick: Penn State by 4

Boca Raton BowlDec 18, Boca Raton
Virginia3-2 56%
Texas A&M3-3 44%

Pick: Virginia by 2

Frisco BowlDec 23, Frisco
Louisville3-3 70%
Iowa State3-3 30%

Pick: Louisville by 7

Puerto Rico BowlDec 22, Bayamón
South Carolina3-3 36%
Washington3-3 64%

Pick: Washington by 5

Frisco Football ClassicDec 15, Frisco
Vanderbilt3-3 46%
NC State3-3 54%

Pick: NC State by 2

With the season young, a team counts as on pace for a bowl if it has won at least half its games. 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 10.9 >99% 26%
2 Indiana 8-0 12-0 11.5 >99% 59%
3 Notre Dame 6-0 11-1 11.1 >99% 34%
4 Georgia 5-0 11-1 11.1 >99% 32%
5 BYU 5-0 10-2 10.4 >99% 13%
6 Texas 4-0 10-2 9.9 >99% 7%
7 Miami 5-0 11-1 10.7 >99% 16%
8 Utah 4-0 10-2 10.2 >99% 10%
9 UCLA 5-0 11-1 10.7 >99% 23%
10 Missouri 6-1 9-3 8.9 >99% 2%
11 Ohio State 4-2 9-3 9.0 >99% 31%
12 Texas Tech 5-0 10-2 9.5 >99% 4%
13 Mississippi State 4-1 8-4 8.4 >99% 2%
14 Houston 5-1 9-3 9.5 >99% 12%
15 LSU 4-1 9-3 9.3 >99% 11%
16 Nebraska 5-1 9-3 9.4 >99% 12%
17 James Madison 5-0 11-1 10.9 >99% 28%
18 Arizona 5-1 9-3 9.0 >99% 7%
19 Wake Forest 5-1 10-2 9.6 >99% 19%
20 Pittsburgh 5-1 9-3 9.4 >99% 9%
21 North Dakota State 5-0 11-1 10.7 >99% 17%
22 Oklahoma 2-2 7-5 7.1 91% 2%
23 Ole Miss 4-1 7-5 6.7 89% <1%
24 Iowa 5-1 8-4 8.2 >99% 2%
25 USC 5-1 8-4 7.7 99% <1%
26 Wisconsin 4-1 8-4 8.0 98% 1%
27 Boise State 4-1 9-2 8.9 >99% 28%
28 Northwestern 4-1 8-4 8.0 99% <1%
29 Oklahoma State 4-1 8-4 7.8 97% 1%
30 Baylor 4-1 7-5 7.4 95% <1%
31 New Mexico 4-1 10-2 9.9 >99% 29%
32 Oregon 3-2 7-5 7.1 92% 1%
33 Liberty 5-1 10-2 10.5 >99% 57%
34 Tennessee 4-1 8-4 7.7 98% <1%
35 SMU 4-1 8-4 8.3 >99% <1%
36 UTSA 5-1 8-4 8.5 >99% 3%
37 Kentucky 4-2 6-6 6.4 80% <1%
38 Georgia State 4-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 9%
39 Memphis 4-1 9-3 8.6 >99% 5%
40 Florida 4-2 6-6 6.4 82% <1%
41 Kansas 2-2 7-5 6.5 80% <1%
42 Minnesota 4-1 6-6 6.2 71% <1%
43 Cincinnati 4-1 6-6 6.2 74% <1%
44 Louisiana 4-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 8%
45 Air Force 3-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 9%
46 Duke 4-1 8-4 7.7 97% <1%
47 Fresno State 4-1 8-3 7.7 98% 4%
48 East Carolina 3-2 8-4 8.1 99% 10%
49 Florida Atlantic 4-1 8-4 7.7 97% <1%
50 Oregon State 3-2 7-4 7.4 98% 11%
51 Virginia Tech 4-2 8-4 7.7 99% 2%
52 Kansas State 3-2 7-5 6.8 85% 1%
53 Auburn 3-2 6-6 5.7 57% <1%
54 Clemson 3-2 7-5 6.6 84% <1%
55 Michigan 3-3 6-6 6.4 82% 1%
56 UCF 3-3 6-6 5.8 61% <1%
57 North Carolina 3-2 5-7 5.4 46% <1%
58 North Texas 4-2 8-4 7.8 98% 5%
59 Louisiana Tech 2-2 8-4 7.7 96% 6%
60 Penn State 3-2 7-5 7.0 90% 1%
61 Arizona State 2-2 5-7 4.8 25% <1%
62 Florida State 3-3 6-6 5.7 57% <1%
63 Jacksonville State 4-2 9-3 8.8 >99% 25%
64 Syracuse 2-2 5-7 5.5 49% <1%
65 Virginia 3-2 7-5 6.6 82% <1%
66 Louisville 3-3 7-5 6.9 90% 5%
67 Texas A&M 3-3 5-7 5.2 36% <1%
68 South Florida 4-2 8-4 7.9 99% 5%
69 Michigan State 2-3 5-7 4.8 28% <1%
70 Iowa State 3-3 5-7 4.8 24% <1%
71 Purdue 2-3 4-8 4.4 17% <1%
72 TCU 2-3 4-8 4.4 17% <1%
73 Troy 3-2 7-5 6.6 84% <1%
74 Toledo 4-2 9-3 8.9 >99% 26%
75 South Carolina 3-3 5-7 5.0 29% <1%
76 Maryland 2-3 5-7 4.9 30% <1%
77 Vanderbilt 3-3 5-7 4.8 20% <1%
78 UNLV 3-2 7-5 7.1 95% <1%
79 Ohio 4-2 8-4 8.1 >99% 7%
80 Colorado 2-3 4-8 4.2 14% <1%
81 Texas State 2-3 6-5 5.7 57% 2%
82 Army 3-2 6-6 5.6 53% <1%
83 App State 3-2 7-5 6.8 87% <1%
84 Florida International 3-2 7-5 6.7 87% <1%
85 Washington 3-3 5-7 5.0 31% <1%
86 Western Michigan 4-2 8-4 7.6 97% 3%
87 UAB 3-2 6-6 5.6 52% <1%
88 NC State 3-3 6-6 6.2 74% 2%
89 Illinois 2-3 4-8 3.7 6% <1%
90 Tulsa 3-3 7-5 6.8 88% 5%
91 Navy 2-3 6-6 5.7 58% <1%
92 Georgia Southern 2-3 5-7 5.3 42% <1%
93 West Virginia 3-3 4-8 4.0 5% <1%
94 Arkansas 2-3 3-9 2.7 <1% <1%
95 Massachusetts 4-2 8-4 7.8 99% 3%
96 California 3-3 5-7 4.6 15% <1%
97 Marshall 3-2 6-6 5.9 61% <1%
98 Miami (OH) 3-3 7-5 7.1 94% 9%
99 Boston College 2-3 4-8 3.5 2% <1%
100 Sam Houston 1-4 6-6 6.3 81% 11%
101 South Alabama 4-2 6-6 5.8 61% <1%
102 UConn 3-3 6-6 6.1 70% <1%
103 Tulane 2-3 5-7 4.9 29% <1%
104 Central Michigan 3-3 6-6 6.5 80% 3%
105 Stanford 2-4 4-8 3.7 2% <1%
106 Colorado State 2-3 4-7 3.8 4% <1%
107 San Diego State 2-3 4-7 3.6 3% <1%
108 Georgia Tech 2-3 3-9 3.1 <1% <1%
109 Delaware 2-3 5-7 5.1 36% <1%
110 San José State 3-3 6-7 5.7 59% <1%
111 Eastern Michigan 4-3 6-6 6.0 67% <1%
112 Utah State 2-4 4-7 3.6 2% <1%
113 Temple 2-4 5-7 4.9 25% <1%
114 Arkansas State 2-4 5-7 4.9 28% <1%
115 Old Dominion 2-4 4-8 4.4 15% <1%
116 Middle Tennessee 2-3 4-8 4.1 10% <1%
117 Wyoming 3-3 5-7 5.1 31% <1%
118 Rutgers 1-4 2-10 1.8 <1% <1%
119 Western Kentucky 2-4 3-9 3.4 1% <1%
120 Kennesaw State 1-4 4-8 4.3 15% <1%
121 Rice 1-5 3-9 2.9 1% <1%
122 New Mexico State 2-4 4-8 4.1 9% <1%
123 Buffalo 3-3 5-7 5.0 30% <1%
124 Nevada 1-3 3-9 3.4 2% <1%
125 Coastal Carolina 1-4 3-9 3.0 <1% <1%
126 Kent State 2-4 4-8 4.3 14% <1%
127 Southern Miss 1-4 3-9 3.2 2% <1%
128 Missouri State 1-4 3-9 2.7 <1% <1%
129 Northern Illinois 0-4 2-10 2.3 <1% <1%
130 Hawai'i 1-4 4-8 4.1 7% <1%
131 Ball State 1-5 4-8 3.8 5% <1%
132 Washington State 1-5 2-9 2.3 <1% <1%
133 Bowling Green 2-4 4-8 3.6 3% <1%
134 UTEP 1-4 2-10 2.1 <1% <1%
135 Akron 1-5 3-9 2.9 <1% <1%
136 UL Monroe 0-5 1-11 1.3 <1% <1%
137 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.

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