Week 2 2026-27 College Football Playoff Bowl Projections Revealed

Week 2 of the 2026-27 college football season delivered thrilling finishes and shocking upsets, shaking up the bowl game and playoff projections. The biggest moment was Texas’ incredible 20-point comeback against Ohio State, a result with major implications for the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture.

Oklahoma State and Michigan also won, pushing Oregon out of the playoff projections. Under the new rules for the 2026 season, the Power 4 conference champions receive automatic CFP bids, along with the highest-ranked Group of 6 team. The remaining spots go to the next seven highest-ranked teams.

Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot if it ranks among the top 12. The top four teams receive first-round byes, while the other eight compete in first-round games at campus sites. Bowl season starts with the Cricket Celebration Bowl on December 12 and ends with the CFP National Championship game on January 25.

First-Round Games

The first-round games will be held at campus sites, giving fans the unusual experience of playoff football in their home stadiums. The matchups are scheduled for December 18 and 19.

December 18

8 p.m., ESPN: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State (Bonagura) or No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Miami (Schlabach)

December 19

Noon, ABC/ESPN: No. 11 BYU at No. 6 LSU (Bonagura) or No. 11 Texas A&M at No. 6 LSU (Schlabach)
3:30 p.m., TNT: No. 10 Texas Tech at No. 7 Miami (Bonagura) or No. 10 Texas Tech at No. 7 Ohio State (Schlabach)
7:30 p.m., TNT: No. 9 Texas A&M at No. 8 Alabama (Bonagura) or No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 8 BYU (Schlabach)

Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals will bring intense matchups to iconic bowl venues on January 1. The exact time slots will be set on Selection Day, December 6.

Quarterfinals Game 2

Noon, TNT: No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (Bonagura) or No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 1 Texas (Schlabach)

Quarterfinals Game 3

4 p.m., ABC/ESPN: No. 6 LSU vs. No. 3 Texas (Bonagura) or No. 6 LSU vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (Schlabach)

Quarterfinals Game 4

8 p.m., ESPN: No. 7 Miami vs. No. 2 Indiana (Bonagura) or No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Georgia (Schlabach)

Semifinals and Title Game

The semifinals will take place at the Capital One Orange Bowl and the Allstate Sugar Bowl, setting up the national championship.

Capital One Orange Bowl

Thursday, Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m., TNT: No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Indiana (Bonagura) or No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia (Schlabach)

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Friday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN: No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (Bonagura) or No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 1 Texas (Schlabach)

CFP National Championship

Monday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (Bonagura) or No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 2 Georgia (Schlabach)

Bowl Season

Bowl season is loaded with intriguing matchups, giving fans plenty of games to watch. From the Cricket Celebration Bowl to the CFP National Championship, here’s a look at the scheduled bowl games.

December 12 – Cricket Celebration Bowl

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Noon, ABC: South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M (Bonagura) or South Carolina State vs. Alabama State (Schlabach)

December 15 – IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl

Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama), 5:30 p.m., ESPN: FIU vs. Louisiana Tech (Bonagura) or UMass vs. Louisiana (Schlabach)

December 18 – Boca Raton Bowl

Flagler Credit Union Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida), 11 a.m., ESPN: Liberty vs. Tulsa (Bonagura) or East Carolina vs. Western Michigan (Schlabach)

December 21 – Myrtle Beach Bowl

Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina), 11 a.m., ESPN: Delaware vs. Georgia State (Bonagura) or Jacksonville State vs. Georgia State (Schlabach)

December 22 – Puerto Rico Bowl

Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium (Bayamón, Puerto Rico), 1:30 p.m., ESPN: UMass vs. Old Dominion (Bonagura) or Tulsa vs. Liberty (Schlabach)

December 23 – New Orleans Bowl

Caesars Superdome (New Orleans), 2 p.m., ESPN: Jacksonville State vs. Appalachian State (Bonagura) or Kennesaw State vs. James Madison (Schlabach)

December 24 – Isleta New Mexico Bowl

University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico), 2:30 p.m., ESPN: New Mexico vs. UTSA (Bonagura) or UNLV vs. Fresno State (Schlabach)

December 26 – Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

Yankee Stadium (New York), Noon, ABC: Louisville vs. Iowa (Bonagura) or Virginia Tech vs. Nebraska (Schlabach)

December 28 – Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland), 2 p.m., ESPN: North Carolina vs. Navy (Bonagura) or Duke vs. South Florida (Schlabach)

December 29 – JLab Birmingham Bowl

Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama), 2 p.m., ESPN: Mississippi State vs. Tulane (Bonagura) or Mississippi State vs. North Carolina (Schlabach)

December 30 – Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona), 7:30 p.m., TNT: No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Georgia (Bonagura) or No. 5 Miami vs. No. 4 Indiana (Schlabach)

December 31 – ReliaQuest Bowl

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida), Noon, ESPN: Michigan vs. Ole Miss (Bonagura) or Michigan vs. Tennessee (Schlabach)

January 2 – Citrus Bowl

Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida), Noon, ABC: Penn State vs. Tennessee (Bonagura) or Penn State vs. Alabama (Schlabach)

For a closer look at all the bowl projections, visit the 2026-27 Week 2 College Football Playoff and Bowl Projections.