With the Indiana Hoosiers crowned national champions after an epic College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the 2025 season is officially over. Is it too early to turn attention to the 2026 campaign?
College football never stops moving, never stops evolving, never sleeps, so let’s take a look at a way-too-early 2026 College Football Playoff predictions. Can the Hoosiers repeat?
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff First Round
- No. 12 James Madison Dukes vs. No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes
- No. 11 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 6 Texas Longhorns
- No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers
- No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 8 USC Trojans
As much as things change, they stay the same. The James Madison Dukes might have lost head coach Bob Chesney to the UCLA Bruins, but the Sun Belt standouts have proven time and time again that they can adapt to a coaching conveyor belt. The PFSN College Football Playoff Meter gives them a 30.5% chance to represent the Group of Six in the postseason once more.
Miami and Indiana both return to the final 12 in our College Football Playoff predictions, while several other teams that played meaningful postseason action in 2025 are expected to follow suit. However, the Texas Longhorns and USC Trojans are expected to push on in 2026, making the tournament after missing out last fall.
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Steve Sarkisian’s team, who return quarterback Arch Manning and made several eye-catching transfer portal moves this offseason, has a 67.8% chance of reaching the College Football Playoff. Lincoln Riley has referenced 2026 as being the year for his team, and the PFSN College FPM gives the Trojans a 59.4% chance of being among the top 12 teams.
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
- No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Oregon Ducks
- No. 6 Texas vs. No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders
- No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs
In our way-too-early College Football Playoff predictions, the Oregon Ducks are the projected Big Ten champion and earn the No. 1 seed for the postseason tournament. Dan Lanning’s team is buoyed by the return of quarterback Dante Moore and an exciting transfer portal haul, with a 16.0% chance of winning it all in Las Vegas next January.
Joining the Ducks with a first-round bye are the Georgia Bulldogs (projected SEC champion), the Texas Tech Red Raiders (an unsurprising Big 12 champion projection), and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who should be motivated by revenge after missing out on the College Football Playoff following the 2025 season. Marcus Freeman’s “leave no doubt” motto is a warning shot to the other 135 FBS programs attempting to stop the Irish.
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff Semifinal
- No. 6 Texas vs. No. 7 Indiana
- No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Oregon
The PFSN College FPM gives Notre Dame a slender advantage over the Ohio State Buckeyes in a neutral-site head-to-head, putting the Irish on a collision course with the Ducks in the College Football Playoff semifinals. CJ Carr vs. Moore would be an elite quarterback matchup, with both players considered early Heisman Trophy favorites ahead of the 2026 season.
MORE: Is Indiana’s Dominant Defense the Best in CFP History?
Meanwhile, the Manning-led Texas team is considered a similarly close favorite for the quarterfinal matchup against Texas Tech, redressing the in-state balance after the Red Raiders’ success in 2025. Despite losing a ton of talent after this season, Indiana is expected to retool (they already have their QB in Josh Hoover). Does their run to the championship game fall short here?
College Football Bowl Projections | National Championship Game
- No. 6 Texas vs. No. 1 Oregon
Some analysts considered Oregon to be one of the top teams in the country this fall until they were humbled by the Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl. Next fall, they’ll be another year older, another year wiser, and their path to the title game is as real as these College Football Playoff predictions make it seem. The PFSN College FPM makes the Ducks a 1-point favorite over Texas here.
