This is the 24-team College Football Playoff bracket at FOX Sports, and I am the selection committee chairman.
Now, it’s all for a hypothetical playoff field as the postseason format barrels toward expansion from its current 12 teams. But I have a clear picture and strong understanding of just who I think is good, who would make the CFP if the season ended today and who I think are the best teams in the sport. I have seeded teams based entirely on my weekly top-25 rankings.
As part of this 24-team College Football Playoff format, I’m looking at the seeding, potential matchups and the state of play for a few teams.
These teams, only three of which are undefeated, are playing every week for the opportunity to stay here, while dozens of other teams not listed are also still playing for the privilege of participating in the postseason tournament to crown the national champion. It’s one more way of saying, yes, every single game matters in this sport.
Under this format, my selection criteria are really quite simple:
- The four Power Four conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six team are automatic qualifiers
- The rest of the field is filled with 19 at-large bids for the remaining highest-ranked teams, in this case, in my weekly top-25 rankings.
Let’s go into it. Here’s what the 24-team College Football Playoff field would look like if the 2026 season ended after Week 9.
24-TEAM COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FIELD IN 2016
AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS: POWER FOUR CHAMPS, TOP SIX FORUM
1. Miami, ACC champion
2. Georgia, SEC champion.
3. Indiana, Big Ten champion
4. Utah, Big 12 champion
20. Boise State, the top ranked Six team.
The Miami Hurricanes are doing everything they can to remove the doubt from my mind and fill it with certainty that they are not only the best team in the game, but they can also win the national title in two and a half months.
Given Miami’s schedule, that was a difficult question until this weekend. Discerning fans will see what I have to say about Miami’s schedule, too, though. Especially, Miami’s double digit way to win at Exciting a jump made by order wins That’s the thing.
On Saturday, the Canes (finally) take on an opponent on the road in Notre Dame, and that game will play into how Mario Cristobal’s good team fares this year. However, last year, Miami was one of the closest teams to make it to the CFP — at the expense of Notre Dame — and proved to be the second best team in the game.
This 2026 Miami team played better and is actually better than the 2025 team. I want to see how the Dogs do No. 1 in the first team with no skill to overcome.
CFP AT BIDS, FIRST ROUND BYES
5. Notre Dame
6. UCLA
7. Kentucky
8. Alabama
Notre Dame must win on Saturday to stay in the top seed in what is a much-coveted spot in the hypothetical 24-team CFP. Teams number No. 5 to No. 8 not only good-bye; even in the domestic field they are more conveniently taken against the bottom seed.
The Fighting Irish already know they can reach the national championship game with home field advantage to start the invitational season. In the 24-team format, they also get an extended opportunity to prepare for a healthy, better opponent and possibly win a national title that has spanned four decades at Notre Dame.
With loss no. 1 Miami this weekend, Notre Dame would not be CFP, but could drop the seed, drop the best bye week, and play at home for a full hour. This is a clear example of every game that matters in the regular season.
CFP BIG BIDS: FIRST ROUND HOME GAMES
9. Texas
10. Ole Miss
11. USC
12. Ohio State
13. Texas Tech
14. Tennessee
15. BYU
16. Houston
How did the mighty fall, Ohio State? After a disastrous loss to USC in Week 9 on Saturday night, Ohio State has already lost its CFP bye privilege.
Buckeyes fans are right to ask Ryan Day and his staff. The Trojans had little loss with freshman quarterback Luke Fahey making his first start on the road. No, Ohio State’s loss was more of a problem with clock management, with a complete inability to score a touchdown in the red zone in the first half and mistakes made by coordinator Matt Patricia’s defense, allowing for explosive plays that proved to be the difference maker. With another loss this season, the Buckeyes could make it a long shot to make the 12-team CFP.
Only two three-loss teams have made the tournament in the past: Alabama last season and 2024 ACC champion Clemson.
A three-loss Ohio State team found itself in the hypothetical 24-team CFP to begin its journey on the road, only to have to watch the whole thing unfold from their living room couch.
CFP AT-HEAVY BIDS: FIRST ROUND ROAD GAMES
17. Missouri
18. LSU
19. Iowa
20. Boise State (automatic qualifier)
21. Wake up the forest
22. Florida
23. UTSA
24. New Mexico
Yes, UNC. You are still here.
Get down here.
Slumming.
That happens when you lose to Ole Miss and Kentucky before Week 10. Fortunately for you, the Fighting Tigers, you have a chance to put yourself in the top 25 and in the CFP seed rankings with a win against Alabama on Saturday. In fact, what UNC could win would require a flip between the Tigers and the Limson Tide.
I still think LSU is one of the most talented teams in the game, and the Tigers are great fun to watch when you’re healthy. The prospect of watching LSU win its fourth national title in 24 years — which it certainly won’t win if it’s still No. 18 at the end of the 2026 season — doesn’t offend me, even in the 24-team CFP with one of the toughest paths to a national title game ever.
Leave it to Lane Kiffin and LSU to blur the line between the famous and the famous — sometimes on the football field.