2026-27 Week 6 College Football Playoff, bowl projections - ESPN

If Week 6 showed anything, it's to never underestimate the underdog. Only two ranked matchups were played: Georgia earned a conference road victory over Alabama, and UCLA pulled off an upset over Oregon in Eugene.

But four unranked teams defeated ranked opponents with then-No. 1 Texas falling to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game, Kentucky pulling off its second surprise over a top-25 opponent, plus South Carolina and North Carolina earning big wins.

In the wake of all that, we take a look at how the postseason picture shifted after Week 6.

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 Dec. 12 and wrap up with the CFP National Championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Jan. 25.

ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach will make their predictions for all the postseason matchups every week of the season until the actual matchups are set 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 Boise State at No. 5