07 / Playoff projection
TWELVE TEAMS.ONE CHAMPION.
The field today and at season's end. Title chances from 10,000 simulated seasons.
How the playoff works +
- 12 teams. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions and the best other champion get in, plus seven at-large teams. Notre Dame is in if it is top 12.
- Seeds follow the ranking. The top four get byes; a champion ranked outside the top 12 takes the last seed.
- First round on campus (12 at 5, 11 at 6, 10 at 7, 9 at 8), then bowls, then the final in Las Vegas.
Our index stands in for the committee's ranking. CFP format, 2026-27.
The field
Title chances
The committee's view
The College Football Playoff committee's current top 25 next to our index.
About this page
The twelve-team field
This page shows the College Football Playoff field two ways: how it would look if the season ended today, and how it is most likely to look once every remaining game is played. The five highest-ranked conference champions earn automatic bids, the top four of those earn first-round byes, and the next seven highest-ranked teams fill the at-large spots.
How the projection works
The rest of the season, including conference title games, is simulated 10,000 times using each team's Power rating. Every simulation builds its own field and bracket, so each team gets a chance to make the playoff, earn a bye, reach each round and win the title. Conference champions are decided with each league's own tiebreakers.