Week 1 has come and gone, and although we saw only one top-25 matchup played, there were plenty of outcomes that affected this week’s bowl and playoff projections.
To start the five-day slate of games, UMass snapped its 16-game losing streak last Thursday with a big 37-21 victory over Rutgers to land the Minutemen a spot in this week’s list. In LSU’s first game in the Lane Kiffin era, it gained a massive 51-10 win against Clemson, finding itself going to the playoff quarterfinals in this week’s projections.
New to the 2026 season, the Power 4 conference champions will get automatic bids to the CFP, along with the highest-ranked Group of 6 team regardless of whether it is a league champ. The remaining slots in the 12-team field will go to the next seven highest-ranked teams. Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the field if it is among the top 12 teams.
The four highest-ranked teams (not necessarily conference champions) will be awarded first-round byes. The other eight teams will meet in first-round games at the campus sites of seeds 5 through 8.
The festivities of bowl season kick off with the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 12, and wrap up with the CFP National Championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Monday, Jan. 25.
ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach will project all the postseason matchups every week of the season until the actual matchups are set Sunday, Dec. 6.
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First-round games | Quarterfinals
Semis, title game | Bowl season
College Football Playoff
First-round games (at campus sites)
Saturday, Dec. 19
Noon, ABC/ESPN
3:30 p.m., TNT
7:30 p.m., TNT
Bonagura: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Georgia
Schlabach: No.12 North Dakota State at No. 5 Oregon
Bonagura: No. 11 BYU at No. 6 LSU
Schlabach:No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 6 Indiana
Bonagura: No. 10 Oregon at No. 7 Miami
Schlabach: No. 10 Texas Tech at No. 7 Miami
Bonagura: No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Texas Tech
Schlabach: No. 9 BYU at No. 8 LSU
CFP quarterfinals
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
7:30 p.m., TNT
Bonagura: No. 7 Miami vs. No. 2 Notre Dame
Schlabach:No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas
Time slots for quarterfinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl to be determined on Selection Day (Dec. 6)
Quarterfinals Game 2
Noon, TNT
Bonagura: No. 6 LSU vs. No. 3 Texas
Schlabach:No. 6 Indiana vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
Quarterfinals Game 3
4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Bonagura: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 4 Indiana
Schlabach:No. 7 Miami vs. No. 2 Georgia
Quarterfinals Game 4
8 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 1 Ohio State
Schlabach:No. 8 LSU vs. No. 1 Ohio State
CFP semifinals, national championship game
Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
7:30 p.m., TNT
Bonagura: No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 1 Ohio State
Schlabach: No. 4 Texas vs. No. 1 Ohio State
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Bonagura: No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Notre Dame
Schlabach: No. 6 Indiana vs. No. 2 Georgia
CFP National Championship
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Bonagura: No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Ohio State
Schlabach: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio State
Bowl season schedule
Cricket Celebration Bowl presented by Toyota
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon, ABC
Bonagura:South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M
Schlabach:South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Liberty vs. Louisiana Tech
Schlabach:UMass vs. Louisiana
Frisco Football Classic
The Star (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Clemson vs. Louisiana
Schlabach:Memphis vs. Colorado State
Boca Raton Bowl
Flagler Credit Union Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
11 a.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Jacksonville State vs. Tulsa
Schlabach:East Carolina vs. Western Michigan
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Vanderbilt vs. South Florida
Schlabach:Georgia Tech vs. Tulane
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
11 a.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Delaware vs. Southern Miss
Schlabach:Jacksonville State vs. Old Dominion
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura:Western Michigan vs. UNLV
Schlabach:Toledo vs. Air Force
Puerto Rico Bowl
Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium (Bayamón, Puerto Rico)
1:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Wake Forest vs. Old Dominion
Schlabach:Tulsa vs. Liberty
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Acrisure Bounce House (Orlando, Florida)
5 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Ohio vs. James Madison
Schlabach:Troy vs. Florida International
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
8:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura:Cal vs. TCU
Schlabach:West Virginia vs. Washington State
New Orleans Bowl
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
2 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Kennesaw State vs. Appalachian State
Schlabach:Kennesaw State vs. James Madison
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Baylor vs. Army
Schlabach:UCLA vs. Army
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, California)
7:30 p.m., The CW
Bonagura:Fresno State vs. UCLA
Schlabach: Boise State vs.Cal
Frisco Bowl
The Star (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Syracuse vs. Memphis
Schlabach:UTSA vs. Western Kentucky
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura:New Mexico vs. UTSA
Schlabach:UNLV vs. Fresno State
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
7 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura:San Diego State vs. North Dakota State
Schlabach:San Diego State vs. Nevada
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium (New York)
Noon, ABC
Bonagura:Duke vs. Michigan
Schlabach:Virginia Tech vs. Illinois
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Fenway Park (Boston)
2 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Florida State vs. East Carolina
Schlabach:NC State vs. Navy
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
3:30 p.m., ABC
Bonagura:Louisville vs. Illinois
Schlabach:Pittsburgh vs. Wisconsin
68 Ventures Bowl
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura:Troy vs. Air Force
Schlabach:Georgia Southern vs. Miami (Ohio)
Cactus Bowl
Mountain America Stadium (Tempe, Arizona)
7:30 p.m., ABC
Bonagura: Wisconsin vs. Kansas
Schlabach: Nebraska vs.UCF
Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura:North Carolina vs. Navy
Schlabach:Duke vs. South Florida
Trust & Will Holiday Bowl
Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)
5 p.m., The CW
Bonagura: Virginia vs. Washington
Schlabach:Virginia vs. Utah
JLab Birmingham Bowl
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
2 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura:Missouri vs. Tulane
Schlabach: Auburn vs.North Carolina
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: SMU vs. Houston
Schlabach:Louisville vs. TCU
Valero Alamo Bowl
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Kansas State vs. USC
Schlabach:Houston vs. USC
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)
11:30 a.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Pitt vs. Florida
Schlabach:SMU vs. Florida
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville)
3 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura:Iowa vs. South Carolina
Schlabach:Iowa vs. South Carolina
ReliaQuest Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
Bonagura: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
Schlabach:Michigan vs. Ole Miss
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS
Bonagura: Virginia Tech vs. Arizona
Schlabach:Clemson vs. Arizona
Las Vegas Bowl
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
3:45 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Utah vs. Ole Miss
Schlabach:Washington vs. Texas A&M
Kinder’s Texas Bowl
Reliant Stadium (Houston)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Cincinnati vs. Auburn
Schlabach:Baylor vs. Tennessee
Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
Noon, ABC
Bonagura:Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Schlabach:Penn State vs. Alabama
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
3:30 p.m., ABC
Bonagura:Maryland vs. North Texas
Schlabach:Minnesota vs. Arizona State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
7:30 p.m., ABC
Bonagura: UCF vs. Tennessee
Schlabach:Kansas State vs. Missouri
The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Casino Del Sol Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
Time TBD, The CW
Bonagura: Toledo vs. Nevada
Schlabach: Ohio vs.New Mexico
Source: www.espn.com
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