College bracket watch: 3 of top 4 seeds would be from SEC

College bracket watch: 3 of top 4 seeds would be from SEC By Eric Olson Associated Press September 20, 2026 - 11:38 am According to the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll released Sunday, three of the top four seeds in the projected College Football Playoff would come from the Southeastern Conference, while two Big 12 teams would also secure spots in the bracket. The projected top‑four seeds are Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame and Mississippi. Indiana, Miami, Ohio State and Alabama would host the opening‑round games. The five highest‑ranked conference champions—including the representative from the Group of Six—receive automatic bids. The remaining seven at‑large positions go to the next‑best teams. Should Notre Dame finish among the top twelve in the final CFP rankings, it would claim one of those at‑large slots. Under this scenario, the SEC would place five teams in the field, the Big Ten and Big 12 each would contribute two, and the ACC would have one. Notre Dame would enter as an independent, and Boise State would represent the Pac‑12 as the leading Group of Six champion. Although Southern California sits at No. 12 in the AP poll, it would be displaced by Boise State, which is not listed in the AP Top 25 but earned the most votes among Group of Six squads. The opening round is set for December 18 and 19, with quarterfinals on December 30 and January 1, semifinals on January 14 and 15, and the championship game on January 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The AP will continue to generate brackets using its weekly Top 25 until the CFP selection committee unveils its first rankings on November 3. If the playoffs began today, the matchups based on the current AP rankings would be: **Based connected the AP rankings, the CFP would unfastened similar this: ** - No. 9 BYU at No. 8 Alabama; the winner faces No. 1 Texas. - No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Indiana; the winner meets No. 4 Mississippi. - No. 10 LSU at No. 7 Ohio State; the winner takes on No. 2 Georgia. - No. 11 Texas Tech at No. 6 Miami; the winner plays No. 3 Notre Dame. The first three teams outside the projected bracket are Southern California, Penn State and Tennessee.