What a 24-team College Football Playoff would look like in 2026 after Week 10

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After months and months of deliberation, it’s official. The College Football Playoff will be expanding to 24 teams starting in 2027. ESPN and the CFP agreed to a five-year deal worth over $1.7 billion to broadcast the expanded event.

That makes 2026 the final-year of the 12-team playoff, and the race for those spots is really starting to heat up after an eventful Week 10 on Saturday. But what would happen if the 24-team playoff were being implemented this season?

The biggest shift is that, in the future era of the 24-team field, conference championship games are being eliminated. That closes the door on any chance for teams to move up on championship weekend, even though most teams playing in power conference title games would be in the top 24 anyways.

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As a result of that, the top 11 in this projection is a little bit different than it was in our latest 12-team projection. Indiana loses the chance to pass UCLA with a win in the Big Ten title game, and Utah loses the chance to leapfrog Notre Dame with another signature win on championship weekend. This format will inevitably be a major win for the Irish, which benefits from no championship games as an independent school.

One of the biggest impacts on the field is that days like Saturday won’t mean as much anymore. Ohio State’s loss to Oregon no longer eliminates it from playoff contention. Alabama and LSU would be playing for seeding, instead of to send the other below the cut line. The same goes for Tennessee and Kentucky, and for Georgia and Ole Miss.

What would that 24-team playoff look like if it were implemented this season? We summed through the final three weeks of the regular season to find out.

1. Georgia (11-1, SEC Champion)

2. Notre Dame (11-1)

3. Utah (11-1, Big 12 Champion)

4. UCLA (12-0, Big Ten Champion)

5. Miami (FL) (11-1, ACC Champion)

6. Indiana (11-1)

7. Tennessee (10-2)

8. Alabama (10-2)

9. Texas (9-3)

10. BYU (10-2)

11. Kentucky (9-3)

12. Iowa (10-2)

13. Ole Miss (9-3)

14. Texas Tech (10-2)

15. Houston (10-2)

16. Boise State (11-1, Pac-12 Champion)

17. Oregon (9-3)

18. Wake Forest (10-2)

19. Arizona (10-2)

20. Ohio State (9-3)

21. South Carolina (8-4)

22. Wisconsin (9-3)

23. LSU (8-4)

24. Missouri (8-4)

Next Out: Oklahoma State (9-3), SMU (9-3), USC (8-4), Clemson (8-4), Penn State (8-4)

First Round Predictions

No. 9 Texas defeats No. 24 Missouri

No. 10 BYU defeats No. 23 LSU

No. 11 Kentucky defeats No. 22 Wisconsin

No. 21 South Carolina defeats No. 12 Iowa

No. 13 Ole Miss defeats No. 20 Ohio State

No. 14 Texas Tech defeats No. 19 Arizona

No. 15 Houston defeats No. 18 Wake Forest

No. 16 Boise State defeats No. 17 Oregon

Second Round Predictions

No. 1 Georgia defeats No. 16 Boise State

No. 2 Notre Dame defeats No. 15 Houston

No. 3 Utah defeats No. 14 Texas Tech

No. 13 Ole Miss defeats No. 4 UCLA

No. 5 Miami (FL) defeats No. 21 South Carolina

No. 6 Indiana defeats No. 11 Kentucky

No. 7 Tennessee defeats No. 10 BYU

No. 8 Alabama defeats No. 9 Texas

Quarterfinal Predictions

No. 8 Alabama defeats No. 1 Georgia

No. 2 Notre Dame defeats No. 7 Tennessee

No. 6 Indiana defeats No. 3 Utah

No. 5 Miami (FL) defeats No. 13 Ole Miss

Semifinal Predictions

No. 5 Miami (FL) defeats No. 8 Alabama

No. 2 Notre Dame defeats No. 6 Indiana

National Championship

No. 5 Miami (FL) defeats No. 2 Notre Dame

Related: Indiana’s Curt Cignetti stays cryptic on Josh Hoover vs. Grant Wilson QB decision vs. USC

Related: Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham now having second thoughts about Tommy Carr vs. Bryce Underwood after firing OC