Week 0 is here, and the college football world is rejoicing at the return of the glorious sport into our lives. With that in mind, USA Today’s Erick Smith wasted no time in putting together the publications latest projections for the College Football Playoff, and bowl season as a whole.
It might be a fool’s errand to look ahead to the 12-team dance this early, just ask the Texas Longhorns how it worked out for them in 2025. Still, it’s an interesting task to look at where we stand entering Week 0, and which teams are projected to lead the way in college football.
Whether or not these squads follow through and make some noise remains to be seen. Working with what we have at the moment, Smith has locked his predictions in for USA Today. Check them out below.
$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage
First Round (Dec. 18-19)
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Navy
No. 6 Indiana vs. No. 11 Ole Miss
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Alabama
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 BYU
Quarterfinals
Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30)
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
No. 4 Miami vs. Oregon
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1, 2027)
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Indiana
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1, 2027)
Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
No. 2 Ohio State vs. Alabama
Peach Bowl (Jan. 1, 2027)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
No. 1 Georgia vs. Oklahoma
Semifinals
Orange Bowl (Jan. 14, 2027)
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 15, 2027)
Caesars Superdome in New Orleans
Georgia vs. Oregon
National Championship (Jan. 25, 2027)
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
Georgia vs. Ohio State
Full Bowl Projections
Frisco Football Classic (Dec. 15)
Frisco, Texas
Jacksonville State vs. Marshall
Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 15)
Montgomery, Alabama
Toledo vs. Troy
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 18)
Boca Raton, Florida
Buffalo vs. Texas State
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 18)
Tampa, Florida
Arkansas vs. South Florida
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 21)
Conway, South Carolina
Central Michigan vs. Old Dominion
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 21)
Boise, Idaho
Miami, Ohio vs. Boise State
Independence Bowl (Dec. 22)
Shreveport, Louisiana
Oklahoma State vs. Liberty
Cure Bowl (Dec. 22)
Orlando, Florida
Florida International vs. Arkansas State
Puerto Rico Bowl (Dec. 22)
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Ohio vs. Connecticut
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Western Kentucky vs. James Madison
Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23)
Fort Worth, Texas
Air Force vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23)
Frisco, Texas
Washington State vs. San Diego State
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 24)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
North Dakota State vs. Fresno State
Hawai’i Bowl (Dec. 24)
Honolulu, Hawaii
UTSA vs. Hawaii
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 26)
Bronx, New York
Georgia Tech vs. Minnesota
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 26)
Boston, Massachusetts
Duke vs. East Carolina
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 26)
Charlotte, North Carolina
Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 26)
Mobile, Alabama
Kennesaw State vs. Georgia Southern
Cactus Bowl (Dec. 26)
Tempe, Arizona
Kansas vs. Nebraska
Military Bowl (Dec. 28)
Annapolis, Maryland
Louisville vs. Army
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29)
Birmingham, Alabama
Kentucky vs. Memphis
Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 29)
Orlando, Florida
Clemson vs. Houston
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29)
San Antonio, Texas
Texas Tech vs. Washington
Gator Bowl (Dec. 30)
Jacksonville, Florida
SMU vs. Tennessee
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Nashville, Tennessee
Illinois vs. Missouri
ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31)
Tampa, Florida
Michigan vs. Texas A&M
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
El Paso, Texas
Florida State vs. USC
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Florida vs. Iowa
Texas Bowl (Dec. 31)
Houston, Texas
Kansas State vs. Auburn
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 2)
Orlando, Florida
Penn State vs. LSU
First Responder Bowl (Jan. 2)
Dallas, Texas
Wake Forest vs. Baylor
Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2)
Memphis, Tennessee
TCU vs. Vanderbilt
Arizona Bowl (TBA)
Tucson, Arizona
Western Michigan vs. New Mexico
Holiday Bowl (TBA)
San Diego, California
NC State vs. Arizona State
Poinsettia Bowl (TBA)
San Diego, California
UNLV vs. Arizona
Leave a Reply