Free CFB Playoff Predictor

Pick winners in the Games panel, or hit Simulate to fill in the rest of the season. Your 12-team College Football Playoff bracket builds live — view it any time under Standings → Playoff, and use Reset to start a fresh scenario.

PFSN's College Football Playoff Predictor is a free tool — no sign-up and no paywall — that lets you play out weekly scenarios to see how the College Football Playoff picture changes with each result. It combines actual game results from the college football season with your own game picks, up-to-date CFB power rankings, AI-simulated outcomes, and our college football strength-of-schedule metric to build a unique CFP bracket.

The Playoff Predictor is updated within minutes of the conclusion of each college football game, so you can test an unlimited number of playoff scenarios in real time and see how your favorite team is impacted in the CFB playoff picture.

PFSN's College Football Playoff Predictor updates in near-real time at the conclusion of every college football game. You can pick every remaining game yourself or select only the games that interest you, then simulate that week alone or the rest of the season at once. The Predictor uses a model built on team power ratings, strength of schedule, and game-by-game simulation to project the outcomes of any games you have not already selected.

From your picks, the Predictor projects the playoff field, and you can adjust any game result to see how it reshapes the CFB playoff picture. Once your bracket is set, you can select the winners of each playoff matchup from the first round through the National Championship.

Yes. PFSN's College Football Playoff Predictor is completely free to use, with no subscription, no paywall, and no sign-up or login required. You can build and simulate unlimited playoff scenarios at no cost.

A total of 12 teams make the College Football Playoff. For the 2026 season, the field is made up of five automatic qualifiers — the conference champions of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC, plus the single highest-ranked Group of Six team — and the seven highest-ranked teams remaining as at-large selections. There is no limit on the number of participants from a single conference, and the four highest-ranked teams overall earn a first-round bye to the quarterfinals.

The change for the 2026 season is that the highest-ranked Group of Six team — from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, or Sun Belt — no longer has to win its conference to claim that automatic spot. Notre Dame is included in the playoff if it finishes among the top 12 teams in the committee's final rankings.

The 2026 college football regular season is a 14-week endeavor (including Week 0). Most FBS teams will play 12 regular-season games, with eight or nine of these games against conference opponents. The remaining contests are non-conference matchups scheduled by the colleges, sometimes years in advance. At the conclusion of the conference championships (Week 14, Dec. 4-5), the selection committee sets the playoff field.

The committee releases its first of six rankings in early November, followed by a new ranking on the subsequent Tuesdays, with the final ranking published on Sunday, December 6.

Once the final ranking is announced, the four Power Four champions (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) and the highest-ranked Group of Six team lock in their automatic places among the 12 teams. Under straight seeding, the four highest-ranked teams overall earn first-round byes, regardless of whether they won a conference title.

In the first round, the higher seeds will host the lower seeds (No. 5 vs. No. 12, No. 6 vs. No. 11, No. 7 vs. No. 10, No. 8 vs. No. 9) either on campus or "at other sites designated by the higher-seeded institution."

The winners advance to the Quarterfinals to challenge the No. 1-4 seeds: No. 4 plays the winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12, No. 1 plays the winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9, No. 3 plays the winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11, and No. 2 plays the winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10. These games will be played on or around New Year's Day with the Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30), Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Cotton Bowl hosting the games.

The winners of the Semifinal games (the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl) will face off in the CFP National Championship.

The College Football Playoff Committee consists of 13 members who serve three-year terms: six former coaches and players, six sitting athletic directors representing seven conferences (including one from each Power 4 league), and one former sportswriter.

The current College Football Playoff Committee includes:

• Troy Dannen (Nebraska AD)
• Mark Dantonio (Former Cincinnati & Michigan State Coach)
• Mark Harlan (Utah AD)
• Dr. Bryan Maggard (Louisiana AD)
• Ivan Maisel (Sportswriter)
• Gus Malzahn (Former Arkansas State, Auburn, & UCF Coach)
• Chris Massaro (Middle Tennessee State AD)
• Randall McDaniel (Former Arizona State All-American guard)
• Mike Riley (Former Oregon State & Nebraska coach)
• Jeff Tedford (Former Cal & Fresno State Coach)
• Wesley Walls (Former Mississippi All-American Tight End)
• Carla Williams (Virginia AD)
• Hunter Yurachek (Arkansas AD)