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.

All times Eastern

Jump to:
First-round games | Quarterfinals
Semis, title game | Bowl season

College Football Playoff

First-round games (at campus sites)

Friday, Dec. 18
8 p.m., ESPN

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

Wednesday, Dec. 30

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

Friday, Jan. 1

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

Thursday, Jan. 14

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

Friday, Jan. 15

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

Monday, Jan. 25

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

Saturday, Dec. 12

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

Tuesday, Dec. 15

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

Friday, Dec. 18

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

Monday, Dec. 21

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

Tuesday, Dec. 22

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

Wednesday, Dec. 23

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

Thursday, Dec. 24

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

Saturday, Dec. 26

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

Monday, Dec. 28

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

Tuesday, Dec. 29

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

Wednesday, Dec. 30

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

Thursday, Dec. 31

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

Saturday, Jan. 2

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

Date TBD

The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Casino Del Sol Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
Time TBD, The CW
Bonagura: Toledo vs. Nevada
Schlabach: Ohio vs. New Mexico