This is the 24-team College Football Playoff bracket at FOX Sports, and I am the selection committee chairman.
Now, it’s all for a hypothetical playoff field as the postseason format barrels toward expansion from its current 12 teams. But I have a clear picture and strong understanding of just who I think is good, who would make the CFP if the season ended today and who I think are the best teams in the sport. I have seeded teams based entirely on my weekly top-25 rankings.
As part of this 24-team College Football Playoff format, I’m looking at the seeding, potential matchups and the state of play for a few teams.
These teams, only three of which are undefeated, are playing every week for the opportunity to stay here, while dozens of other teams not listed are also still playing for the privilege of participating in the postseason tournament to crown the national champion. It’s one more way of saying, yes, every single game matters in this sport.
Under this format, my selection criteria are really quite simple:
- The four Power Four conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six team are automatic qualifiers
- The rest of the field is filled with 19 at-large bids for the remaining highest-ranked teams, in this case, in my weekly top-25 rankings.
Let’s get into it. This is what a 24-team School Soccer Playoff discipline would appear like if the 2026 season ended after Week 9.
24-TEAM COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIELD IN 2026
AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS: POWER FOUR CHAMPS, HIGHEST-RANKED GROUP OF SIX TEAM
1. Miami, ACC champion
2. Georgia, SEC champion
3. Indiana, Large Ten champion
4. Utah, Large 12 champion
20. Boise State, highest-ranked Group of Six workforce
The Miami Hurricanes are doing all the things they will to take away doubt from my thoughts and fill it with certainty that they don’t seem to be solely the perfect workforce within the sport but additionally able to profitable the nationwide title in two-and-a-half months.
Given Miami’s schedule, that’s been a troublesome ask till this weekend. Discerning followers will discover what I’ve about Miami’s schedule too, although. Mainly, Miami’s double-digit highway win at Wake Forest has turn out to be a ranked win. That issues.
On Saturday, the Canes (lastly) play a prime 5-ranked opponent on the highway in Notre Dame, and that sport will act as a referendum on simply how good Mario Cristobal’s squad is that this 12 months versus final. Nonetheless, final 12 months, Miami was one of many final groups to make it into the CFP — at Notre Dame’s expense — and proved to be the second-best workforce within the sport.
This 2026 Miami workforce has performed higher and would possibly really be higher than the 2025 workforce. I’m desperate to see how the Canes carry that No. 1 rating towards the primary workforce with the talent to defeat them.
CFP AT-LARGE BIDS: FIRST-ROUND BYES
5. Notre Dame
6. UCLA
7. Kentucky
8. Alabama
Notre Dame should win on Saturday to remain seeded in what’s a much-coveted spot within the hypothetical 24-team CFP. Groups ranked No. 5 to No. 8 don’t simply get a bye; additionally they get home-field benefit towards a decrease seed.
The Combating Irish already know they will attain the nationwide championship sport with a home-field benefit to begin the postseason invitational. Within the 24-team format, additionally they get an prolonged probability to get wholesome, higher put together for his or her opponent and maybe go on a run to win the nationwide title that has eluded Notre Dame’s grasp for 4 many years.
With a loss to No. 1 Miami this weekend, Notre Dame wouldn’t be out of the CFP, nevertheless it would possibly get dropped in seeding, giving up that bye week at-best and having to play away from house for your complete postseason. This can be a shiny instance of each sport mattering within the common season.
CFP AT-LARGE BIDS: FIRST-ROUND HOME GAMES
9. Texas
10. Ole Miss
11. USC
12. Ohio State
13. Texas Tech
14. Tennessee
15. BYU
16. Houston
How the mighty have fallen, Ohio State? After a disastrous loss to USC in Week 9 Saturday evening, Ohio State has already misplaced the privilege of a CFP bye.
Buckeyes followers are proper to query coach Ryan Day and his employees. The loss to the Trojans had little to do with a freshman quarterback, Luke Fahey, making his first begin on the highway. No, Ohio State’s loss had extra to do with clock administration, being completely incapable of scoring touchdowns within the crimson zone within the first half and errors made by coordinator Matt Patricia’s protection, permitting for explosive performs which proved to be the difference-maker. With one other loss this season, the Buckeyes would possibly turn out to be an extended shot to make the 12-team CFP.
Solely two three-loss groups have made the event prior to now: Alabama final season and 2024 ACC champion Clemson.
A 3-loss Ohio State workforce in a hypothetical 24-team CFP would possibly discover it has to start its postseason journey on the highway, versus watching the entire thing unfold from its front room sofa.
CFP AT-LARGE BIDS: FIRST-ROUND ROAD GAMES
17. Missouri
18. LSU
19. Iowa
20. Boise State (automated qualifier)
21. Wake Forest
22. Florida
23. UTSA
24. New Mexico
Sure, LSU. You’re nonetheless right here.
Down right here.
Slumming.
That’s what occurs if you lose to Ole Miss and Kentucky earlier than Week 10. Fortuitously for you, preventing Tigers, you have got an opportunity to play your self up the top-25 rankings and up within the ladder of the CFP seeding with a win towards Alabama on Saturday. In reality, a win for LSU would possibly necessitate a flip between the Tigers and the Crimson Tide.
I nonetheless assume LSU is without doubt one of the most proficient groups within the sport, and the Tigers are nice enjoyable to look at after they’re wholesome. The prospect of watching LSU win its fourth nationwide title in 24 years — as a result of it definitely will not win one whether it is nonetheless ranked No. 18 on the finish of 2026 season — wouldn’t shock me, even in a 24-team CFP with one of many hardest roads to the nationwide title the game would possibly ever see.
Depart it to Lane Kiffin and LSU to make regular toeing the road between illustrious and infamous — on and off a soccer discipline.
