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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. 464 games are still to be played.

Projected national champion Georgia Wins the title in 29% of this bracket's outcomes.
Georgia29%
Notre Dame24%
Alabama21%
BYU12%
Miami4%

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.

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 Ohio StateDec 18 or 19
8 Ohio State 65%
9 Utah 35%
at TexasDec 18 or 19
5 Texas 82%
12 James Madison 18%
at IndianaDec 18 or 19
7 Indiana 81%
10 Texas Tech 19%
at MiamiDec 18 or 19
6 Miami 75%
11 Missouri 25%

Quarterfinals

Peach BowlJan 1
1 Alabama 65%
8 Ohio State 35%
Rose BowlJan 1
4 Notre Dame 73%
5 Texas 27%
Cotton BowlJan 1
2 BYU 65%
7 Indiana 35%
Fiesta BowlDec 30
3 Georgia 70%
6 Miami 30%

Semifinals

Sugar BowlJan 15
1 Alabama 49%
4 Notre Dame 51%
Orange BowlJan 14
2 BYU 34%
3 Georgia 66%

Championship

Las VegasJan 25
4 Notre Dame 46%
3 Georgia 53%
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 At-large 68% 37% 21%
2 BYU 6-0 Big 12 champion 69% 28% 12%
3 Georgia 6-0 SEC champion 73% 51% 29%
4 Notre Dame 6-0 Ranked in the top 12 76% 43% 24%
5 Texas 4-0 At-large 22% 7% 2%
6 Miami 5-0 ACC champion 23% 12% 4%
7 Indiana 6-0 Big Ten champion 28% 8% 2%
8 Ohio State 4-1 At-large 22% 9% 4%
9 Utah 4-1 At-large 10% 3% 1%
10 Texas Tech 5-0 At-large 3% <1% Out
11 Missouri 5-1 At-large 4% 1% <1%
12 James Madison 5-0 Sun Belt champion 2% <1% Out

First four out: UCLA (4-0), Mississippi State (4-1), LSU (4-1), Houston (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 12BYU4-0 in conference
Big TenIndiana3-0 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
SECGeorgia4-0 in conference
Sun BeltJames Madison2-0 in conference

Bowl projections

Citrus BowlJan 2, Orlando
Mississippi State4-1 44%
UCLA4-0 55%

Pick: UCLA by 2

ReliaQuest BowlDec 31, Tampa
LSU4-1 66%
Nebraska5-1 34%

Pick: LSU by 6

Alamo BowlDec 29, San Antonio
Houston4-1 70%
Boise State4-1 30%

Pick: Houston by 7

Pop-Tarts BowlDec 29, Orlando
Wake Forest5-1 40%
Arizona5-1 60%

Pick: Arizona by 3

Gator BowlDec 30, Jacksonville
Oklahoma2-2 51%
Pittsburgh5-1 49%

Pick: Oklahoma in a toss-up

Holiday BowlDec 28, San Diego
Duke4-0 58%
Fresno State4-1 42%

Pick: Duke by 3

Las Vegas BowlDec 31, Las Vegas
Oregon3-1 63%
Oregon State3-2 37%

Pick: Oregon by 4

Texas BowlDec 31, Houston
Oklahoma State4-1 57%
Ole Miss3-2 43%

Pick: Oklahoma State by 2

Music City BowlDec 30, Nashville
Kentucky4-1 47%
Iowa5-1 53%

Pick: Iowa by 1

Duke's Mayo BowlDec 26, Charlotte
SMU4-1 57%
Wisconsin4-1 43%

Pick: SMU by 2

Liberty BowlJan 2, Memphis
Baylor4-1 60%
Tennessee4-1 40%

Pick: Baylor by 3

Sun BowlDec 31, El Paso
Virginia Tech4-1 54%
North Dakota State5-0 46%

Pick: Virginia Tech by 1

Pinstripe BowlDec 26, New York
Clemson3-2 19%
USC5-1 81%

Pick: USC by 12

Cactus BowlDec 26, Tempe
Northwestern4-1 48%
Kansas State3-1 52%

Pick: Kansas State by 1

Military BowlDec 28, Annapolis
North Carolina3-2 40%
UTSA5-1 60%

Pick: UTSA by 3

Fenway BowlDec 26, Boston
Florida State3-3 46%
Memphis4-1 54%

Pick: Memphis by 2

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 61%
Florida Atlantic4-1 39%

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
UCF3-3 58%
Jacksonville State4-2 42%

Pick: UCF by 3

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 25%
Louisiana4-1 75%

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 16%
Michigan3-2 84%

Pick: Michigan by 14

Salute to Veterans BowlDec 15, Montgomery
App State3-2 61%
Western Michigan4-2 39%

Pick: App State by 4

Myrtle Beach BowlDec 21, Conway
Penn State3-2 77%
UAB3-2 23%

Pick: Penn State by 10

Cure BowlDec 22, Orlando
Vanderbilt3-2 43%
Arizona State2-2 57%

Pick: Arizona State by 2

Boca Raton BowlDec 18, Boca Raton
Syracuse2-2 50%
Texas A&M3-3 50%

Pick: Texas A&M in a toss-up

Frisco BowlDec 23, Frisco
Virginia3-2 62%
Iowa State3-3 38%

Pick: Virginia by 4

Puerto Rico BowlDec 22, Bayamón
Louisville3-3 77%
South Carolina3-3 23%

Pick: Louisville by 10

Frisco Football ClassicDec 15, Frisco
Washington3-3 57%
NC State3-3 43%

Pick: Washington 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 11.0 >99% 28%
2 BYU 6-0 11-1 10.9 >99% 25%
3 Georgia 6-0 11-1 11.2 >99% 36%
4 Notre Dame 6-0 11-1 11.1 >99% 35%
5 Texas 4-0 10-2 10.0 >99% 7%
6 Miami 5-0 11-1 10.8 >99% 16%
7 Indiana 6-0 11-1 10.7 >99% 20%
8 Ohio State 4-1 10-2 9.6 >99% 18%
9 Utah 4-1 10-2 9.7 >99% 24%
10 Texas Tech 5-0 10-2 9.6 >99% 4%
11 Missouri 5-1 9-3 8.7 >99% 2%
12 UCLA 4-0 10-2 10.4 >99% 14%
13 Mississippi State 4-1 8-4 8.4 >99% 2%
14 LSU 4-1 9-3 9.3 >99% 11%
15 Houston 4-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 9%
16 Nebraska 5-1 9-3 9.4 >99% 12%
17 James Madison 5-0 11-1 10.9 >99% 30%
18 Arizona 5-1 9-3 9.1 >99% 7%
19 Wake Forest 5-1 10-2 9.7 >99% 20%
20 Pittsburgh 5-1 9-3 9.5 >99% 9%
21 Oregon 3-1 8-4 7.6 95% <1%
22 North Dakota State 5-0 11-1 10.7 >99% 17%
23 Oklahoma 2-2 7-5 7.2 92% 2%
24 Iowa 5-1 8-4 8.2 >99% 2%
25 Wisconsin 4-1 8-4 8.0 99% 1%
26 USC 5-1 8-4 7.7 99% <1%
27 Boise State 4-1 9-2 9.0 >99% 30%
28 Northwestern 4-1 8-4 8.0 99% <1%
29 Duke 4-0 8-4 8.5 >99% <1%
30 Ole Miss 3-2 6-6 6.3 76% <1%
31 Oklahoma State 4-1 8-4 7.9 97% 1%
32 New Mexico 4-1 10-2 10.0 >99% 31%
33 Baylor 4-1 7-5 7.4 95% <1%
34 Kentucky 4-1 7-5 6.6 83% <1%
35 Liberty 5-1 11-1 10.5 >99% 60%
36 Tennessee 4-1 8-4 7.7 98% <1%
37 SMU 4-1 8-4 8.3 >99% <1%
38 Virginia Tech 4-1 9-3 8.6 >99% 1%
39 UTSA 5-1 8-4 8.5 >99% 4%
40 Georgia State 4-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 9%
41 Kansas State 3-1 7-5 7.1 88% <1%
42 Memphis 4-1 9-3 8.7 >99% 5%
43 Florida 4-2 6-6 6.4 82% <1%
44 Kansas 2-2 7-5 6.5 80% <1%
45 Minnesota 4-1 6-6 6.2 70% <1%
46 Cincinnati 4-1 6-6 6.2 73% <1%
47 Louisiana 4-1 9-3 9.2 >99% 8%
48 Michigan 3-2 7-5 6.7 87% <1%
49 Air Force 3-1 9-3 9.3 >99% 9%
50 Fresno State 4-1 8-3 7.7 98% 4%
51 East Carolina 3-2 8-4 8.2 99% 10%
52 Florida Atlantic 4-1 8-4 7.7 97% <1%
53 Oregon State 3-2 7-4 7.4 98% 11%
54 Auburn 3-2 6-6 5.7 56% <1%
55 Clemson 3-2 7-5 6.6 84% <1%
56 UCF 3-3 6-6 5.8 61% <1%
57 North Carolina 3-2 5-7 5.4 45% <1%
58 North Texas 4-2 8-4 7.8 98% 5%
59 Louisiana Tech 2-2 8-4 7.8 97% 6%
60 Penn State 3-2 7-5 7.0 90% 1%
61 Vanderbilt 3-2 5-7 5.0 31% <1%
62 Arizona State 2-2 5-7 4.7 24% <1%
63 Florida State 3-3 6-6 5.7 58% <1%
64 Jacksonville State 4-2 9-3 8.9 >99% 27%
65 Syracuse 2-2 5-7 5.5 49% <1%
66 Virginia 3-2 7-5 6.6 82% <1%
67 Texas A&M 3-3 5-7 5.2 36% <1%
68 Louisville 3-3 7-5 6.9 91% 6%
69 Michigan State 2-3 5-7 4.8 27% <1%
70 South Florida 4-2 8-4 7.9 99% 5%
71 Iowa State 3-3 5-7 4.7 22% <1%
72 Purdue 2-3 4-8 4.3 16% <1%
73 TCU 2-3 4-8 4.4 16% <1%
74 Troy 3-2 7-5 6.6 84% <1%
75 South Carolina 3-3 5-7 4.9 28% <1%
76 Toledo 4-2 9-3 8.9 >99% 28%
77 Maryland 2-3 5-7 4.9 30% <1%
78 UNLV 3-2 7-5 7.1 96% <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 58% 2%
82 Army 3-2 6-6 5.6 52% <1%
83 App State 3-2 7-5 6.8 88% <1%
84 Florida International 3-2 7-5 6.7 87% <1%
85 Washington 3-3 5-7 5.0 30% <1%
86 Western Michigan 4-2 8-4 7.6 98% 3%
87 UAB 3-2 6-6 5.6 51% <1%
88 Illinois 2-3 4-8 3.7 5% <1%
89 NC State 3-3 6-6 6.2 74% 2%
90 Tulsa 3-3 7-5 6.8 89% 5%
91 Navy 2-3 6-6 5.7 58% <1%
92 Georgia Southern 2-3 5-7 5.3 42% <1%
93 Arkansas 2-3 3-9 2.7 <1% <1%
94 West Virginia 3-3 4-8 3.9 4% <1%
95 Massachusetts 4-2 8-4 7.8 99% 3%
96 Marshall 3-2 6-6 5.8 60% <1%
97 Miami (OH) 3-3 7-5 7.2 94% 10%
98 California 2-3 4-8 3.7 4% <1%
99 Boston College 2-3 3-9 3.5 2% <1%
100 Sam Houston 1-4 6-6 6.4 82% 12%
101 South Alabama 4-2 6-6 5.8 59% <1%
102 Temple 2-3 5-7 5.4 46% <1%
103 Tulane 2-3 5-7 4.8 28% <1%
104 Central Michigan 3-3 6-6 6.5 81% 3%
105 Stanford 2-4 4-8 3.6 2% <1%
106 UConn 2-3 6-6 5.5 51% <1%
107 Colorado State 2-3 4-7 3.7 4% <1%
108 San Diego State 2-3 4-7 3.6 3% <1%
109 Georgia Tech 1-3 2-10 2.3 <1% <1%
110 Delaware 2-3 5-7 5.1 36% <1%
111 San José State 3-3 6-7 5.7 59% <1%
112 Eastern Michigan 4-3 6-6 6.0 67% <1%
113 Utah State 2-4 4-7 3.6 2% <1%
114 Middle Tennessee 2-3 4-8 4.0 9% <1%
115 Arkansas State 2-4 5-7 4.9 27% <1%
116 Old Dominion 2-4 4-8 4.3 15% <1%
117 Wyoming 3-3 5-7 5.1 30% <1%
118 Rutgers 1-4 2-10 1.8 <1% <1%
119 Western Kentucky 2-4 3-9 3.3 1% <1%
120 Kennesaw State 1-4 4-8 4.3 14% <1%
121 Rice 1-5 3-9 2.9 1% <1%
122 Nevada 1-3 3-9 3.4 2% <1%
123 New Mexico State 2-4 4-8 4.1 9% <1%
124 Buffalo 3-3 5-7 4.9 29% <1%
125 Kent State 2-4 4-8 4.3 13% <1%
126 Coastal Carolina 1-4 3-9 2.9 <1% <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 Ball State 1-5 4-8 3.8 5% <1%
131 Hawai'i 1-4 4-8 4.1 6% <1%
132 Washington State 1-5 2-9 2.2 <1% <1%
133 Bowling Green 2-4 4-8 3.5 3% <1%
134 UTEP 1-4 2-10 2.1 <1% <1%
135 Akron 1-5 3-9 2.8 <1% <1%
136 UL Monroe 0-5 1-11 1.2 <1% <1%
137 Charlotte 0-6 0-12 0.3 <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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