LAS VEGAS — Notre Dame is predicted to be the No. 1 seed. This projection follows a season where the team was ranked 11th and excluded from the playoff. Rules were adjusted so that Notre Dame receives a playoff spot if it ranks in the top 12.

The team returns cornerback Leonard Moore and quarterback C.J. Carr for the 2026 season. Boubacar Traore recorded 6.5 sacks for the team in the previous season. Aneyas Williams averaged over 7.5 yards per carry in limited playing time over the past two seasons. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa serves as a linebacker for the roster. Notre Dame is ranked No. 4 in the AP preseason poll for 2026. The team is scheduled to play Stanford on October 10, 2026. Notre Dame is also scheduled to play BYU on October 17, 2026.

Ohio State is predicted to be the No. 2 seed. The program lost 11 players to the NFL prior to the 2026 season. Julian Sayin is the quarterback for Ohio State. Jeremiah Smith is a wide receiver for the team.

Miami is predicted to be the No. 3 seed. Miami was the runner-up in the previous College Football Playoff season. The Hurricanes are scheduled to play Notre Dame on November 7, 2026.

Texas is predicted to be the No. 4 seed. Texas missed the College Football Playoff in the previous season.

Oregon, Indiana, Texas Tech, and Georgia are predicted to be seeds 5 through 8. Dante Moore is the quarterback for Oregon. Oregon is ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP poll for 2026.

Curt Cignetti is the head coach at Indiana. Fernando Mendoza is not on the Indiana roster for the 2026 season. Will Hammond is the quarterback for Texas Tech. Brandon Sorsby was involved in a gambling incident affecting the Texas Tech roster.

LSU, Oklahoma, Virginia, and South Florida are predicted to be seeds 9 through 12. Oklahoma's 2026 schedule includes games at Michigan, at Georgia, and against Texas. Virginia nearly won the ACC championship in the previous season.

Oregon is predicted to defeat Texas 24-20 in the 2026 College Football Playoff championship game. The College Football Playoff is entering its third season with a 12-team format. Indiana and Ohio State are the previous two champions of this era.

Penn State's 2026 football schedule does not include games against Indiana, Ohio State, or Oregon. Penn State's 2026 nonconference football opponents are Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo. Arkansas is scheduled to play Georgia the week after its game against Utah in 2026. Jimmy Rogers is the new head football coach at Iowa State. Rogers brought 15 players from Washington State to Iowa State. Iowa State's 2026 football schedule does not include games against Texas Tech or Houston.

Timeline

The AP predicts Notre Dame will be the No. 1 seed in the 2026 College Football Playoff on August 25, 2026. On the same date, the AP predicts Oregon, Indiana, Texas Tech, and Georgia will be seeds 5 through 8 in the 2026 College Football Playoff. Also on August 25, 2026, the AP predicts LSU, Oklahoma, Virginia, and South Florida will be seeds 9 through 12 in the 2026 College Football Playoff.

Alabama, Ole Miss, BYU, and USC are predicted to be excluded from the 2026 College Football Playoff field on August 25, 2026. BYU is scheduled to play Iowa State on October 9, 2026.

Why It Matters

The College Football Playoff is a postseason tournament for the highest level of American college football. The 2026 iteration marks the third season of the 12-team format. The tournament structure begins with campus games before moving to a neutral site for the final. The championship game in Las Vegas represents the conclusion of the season for the participating programs.