2026-27 Week 2 College Football Playoff bowl projections - ESPN

Week 2 gave us a finish that will be remembered for years, plus shocking upsets that impacted this week's bowl game and playoff projections.

In the only top-25 matchup of the week, then-No. 4 Texas made a jaw-dropping 20-point comeback against then-No. 1 Ohio State in an ending that wowed viewers, as the Longhorns jumped seeds in this week's playoff projections. Oklahoma State and Michigan delivered big blows in Week 2 as Oregon fell out of our playoff projections, and the Wolverines' impressive win over then-No. 11 Oklahoma shifted the bowl picture.

New to the 2026 season, the Power 4 conference champions will get automatic bids to the CFP, along with the highest-ranked Group of 6 team regardless of whether it is a league champ. The remaining slots in the 12-team field will go to the next seven highest-ranked teams. Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the field if it is among the top-12 teams.

The four highest-ranked teams (not necessarily conference champions) will be awarded first-round byes. The other eight teams will meet in first-round games at the campus sites of seeds 5 through 8.

The festivities of bowl season kick off with the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Dec. 12, and wrap up with the CFP National Championship game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Monday, Jan. 25.

ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach will project all the postseason matchups every week of the season until the actual matchups are set Sunday, Dec. 6.

All times Eastern

Jump to:
First-round games | Quarterfinals
Semis, title game | Bowl season

First-round games (at campus sites)

Friday, Dec. 18
8 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 19
Noon, ABC/ESPN
3:30 p.m., TNT
7:30 p.m., TNT

Bonagura: No. 12