By Eric Olson
The Associated Press
August 17, 2026 - 11:37 am
The roadworthy to Las Vegas officially has begun.
Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia and Notre Dame would beryllium the apical 4 seeds successful the College Football Playoff based connected the preseason AP Top 25 canvass with Texas, Indiana, Miami and Texas A&M hosting first-round games.
Las Vegas is hosting the CFP Championship astatine Allegiant Stadium connected Jan. 25.
The 5 highest-ranked league champions — from the Power Four and 1 from the Group of Six — volition suffice for the CFP. The different 7 spots volition beryllium filled by the adjacent highest-ranked teams. One of those at-large teams volition beryllium Notre Dame if the Irish are among the apical 12 successful the CFP’s last rankings.
The archetypal poll-based bracket includes 5 teams from the Southeastern Conference, 3 from the Big Ten, 1 from Atlantic Coast Conference, 1 from the Big 12, 1 from the Pac-12 and 1 independent.
Teams seeded Nos. 5-12 by the CFP volition play successful the archetypal round, with the higher seeds hosting the little either connected field oregon astatine different sites designated by the higher-seeded school.
With the removal of historical tie-ins from the vessel duty process opening this season, the CFP Management Committee approved a format successful which the apical 3 seeds, successful fertile order, prime their vessel way successful the playoff.
First-round games are scheduled for Dec. 18 and 19, quarterfinals Dec. 30 and Jan. 1, semifinals Jan. 14 and 15 and the rubric crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium.
Based connected the AP rankings, the CFP would unfastened similar this:
— No. 9 effect Mississippi astatine No. 8 Texas A&M. Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State.
— No. 12 effect Boise State astatine No. 5 Texas. Winner vs. No. 4 Notre Dame.
— No. 10 effect Oklahoma astatine No. 7 effect Miami. Winner vs. No. 2 Oregon.
— No. 11 effect Texas Tech astatine No. 6 Indiana. Winner vs. No. 3 Georgia.
The archetypal 3 teams extracurricular the bracket: LSU, Alabama and BYU.
The Tigers are ranked No. 11 by the AP but would get bumped by Texas Tech and Boise State. Texas Tech, astatine No. 12 successful the AP poll, is the highest-ranked Big 12 team. Boise State of the revamped Pac-12 would beryllium the automatically qualifying Group of Six champion. Boise State is not successful the AP Top 25 but is the Group of Six squad that received the astir votes.
The AP volition people brackets based connected the play Top 25 until the CFP enactment committee unveils its archetypal rankings Nov. 3.
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