By admin 
With Week 2 of the 2026 college football season in the books, it’s never too early to project how the 12-team playoff will look by December. The projected field saw its first significant change of the year following Texas’ comeback victory to beat Ohio State. The Longhorns moved to No. 1, with Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana and the Buckeyes rounding out the projected top five spots. Oregon dropped out of the playoff field following a road loss at Oklahoma State. However, don’t count out the Ducks from playoff contention just yet. With 10 games remaining, including a few high-profile showdowns in Big Ten play, coach Dan Lanning’s team has plenty of time to play their way back into the 12-team field.
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Although the season is just two weeks old, the impact of every game isn’t limited to just the top teams. Instead, each contest takes on an increased role due to eight additional spots in the playoff, as well as seeding, and the automatic bids for conference champions.
As a refresher: 12 teams — four champions from the power conferences, the highest-ranked Group of 6 team and seven highest-ranked at-large selections by the selection committee — will receive berths to the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame is also locked into the field if it finishes in the top 12 in the selection committee’s final rankings. The top four highest-ranked teams receive a bye, with the first-round games slated to be played at the home sites of the higher seeds. Beginning with the quarterfinals, all games through the national championship will be played at bowl or neutral sites.
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With Week 2 completed, Athlon Sports projects the CFP field for 2026:
College Football Playoff 12-Team Preseason Projections After Week 2
The Projected Field for 2026-27
Ranking All 138 College Football Teams for 2026
1. Texas (Projected SEC Champion)
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Indiana (Projected Big Ten Champion)
5. Ohio State
6. Miami (Projected ACC Champion)
7. LSU
8. Texas A&M
9. Ole Miss
10. USC
11. Texas Tech (Projected Big 12 Champion)
12. Boise State (Projected Highest G6 Champion)
Bubble Watch After Week 2
Alabama (2-0)
Penn State (2-0)
Tennessee (2-0)
Utah (2-0)
Missouri (2-0)
BYU (2-0)
SMU (2-0)
Houston (2-0)
Michigan (2-0)
Oklahoma (1-1)
Oregon (1-1)
Washington (2-0)
G6 Playoff Contenders
Projected Conference Champions:Boise State, Memphis, North Dakota State, Liberty, Western Michigan, James Madison
Other G6 Teams in the Mix: New Mexico, UNLV, Air Force, San Diego State, Fresno State, Navy, Army, UTSA, Miami (Ohio), Delaware, Western Kentucky, Kennesaw State, Troy, Hawaii
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College Football Playoff First Round
Games to be played on Dec. 18 and Dec. 19. Contests will be played at home site of higher-ranked team.
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Miami vs. No. 11 Texas Tech
No. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 USC
No. 8 Texas A&M vs. No. 9 Ole Miss
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Second-round games will be played at bowl sites and will take place from Dec. 30 and Jan. 1.
Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30)
Projection: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Miami
Peach Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 LSU
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 9 Ole Miss
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Ohio State
College Football Playoff Semifinals
Semifinal games will be played at bowl sites. Matchups are scheduled for Jan. 14-15.
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Orange Bowl (Jan. 14)
Projection: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 15)
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Ohio State
NationalChampionship
Jan. 25, 2027 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Georgia
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2026-27
Related: College Football Top 138 Team Rankings for 2026
Related: Top 25 Predictions: What the AP Poll Will Look Like After Week 2
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 5:55 AM.