How the matchups line up for all 46 postseason games
Kyle BonaguraCloseKyle BonaguraESPN Staff WriterCovers college football.Joined ESPN in 2014.Attended Washington State University.Mark SchlabachCloseMark SchlabachESPN Senior WriterSenior college football writer
Author of seven books on college football
Graduate of the University of GeorgiaOct 26, 2025, 12:15 PM ETThere weren’t as many surprising results during Week 9 as we’ve grown accustomed to this season, but some surprising teams continued to make their mark.Georgia Tech remained unbeaten by thumping Syracuse, Vanderbilt beat Missouri to improve to 7-1 for its best start since 1941, Indiana rolled over UCLA to stake its claim as the best team in college football, and Navy won again, moving to 7-0.All four of those teams are in the mix for the College Football Playoff, something few would have foreseen a couple of months ago.As with last season’s inaugural 12-team CFP, the five highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams, will make the field. Unlike last year, 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 Nos. 5 through 8.From there, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in what had been the New Year’s Six bowls, with this season’s national championship game scheduled for Jan. 19 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.All of that is just the tip of the iceberg, though. Apart from the playoff is the 35-game slate of bowl games, beginning with the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Dec. 13.We’re here for all of it.ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are projecting every postseason matchup, including their breakdowns of how the playoff will play out, and we’ll be back every week of the season until the actual matchups are set.Jump to a section:Playoff picks | QuarterfinalsSemis, title game | Bowl seasonCollege Football PlayoffFirst-round games (at campus sites)Friday, Dec. 19/Saturday, Dec. 20Times and networks TBD.Bonagura: No. 12 Navy at No. 5 OregonSchlabach: No. 12 Navy at No. 5 GeorgiaBonagura: No. 11 Texas Tech at No. 6 GeorgiaSchlabach: No. 11 Vanderbilt at No. 6 Ole MissBonagura: No. 10 BYU at No. 7 Ole MissSchlabach: No. 10 BYU at No. 7 Georgia TechBonagura: No. 9 Miami at No. 8 Georgia TechSchlabach: No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 MiamiFirst-round breakdownBonagura: At 7-0 (5-0 American Conference), Navy deserves some time in the spotlight, which is why I have the Midshipmen as the No. 12 seed for this week. They have earned it. But the next five games are brutal: at North Texas, at Notre Dame, South Florida, at Memphis, vs. Army. It’s one of the most difficult closing slates for any team in college football.There is some margin of error along the way as Tulane (3-0) is the only other unbeaten team in the American and no one else in the conference has more than three league wins. A year after Army flirted with the playoff, Navy is very much in the mix.All of ESPN. All in one place.Watch college football and much more in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Stream the biggest games
Schlabach: Finally, there was some order in college football this weekend, as every AP top-10 team that played won, although Alabama, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt had to rally to get it done.I dropped Oregon three spots to No. 9 after its lackluster 21-7 win over struggling Wisconsin at home. The game was played in torrential rain at times, and star quarterback Dante Moore left in the third quarter with a face injury. The Ducks will have to play better when they travel to Iowa on Nov. 8.I dropped Texas Tech and added Vanderbilt as my No. 11 team after the Commodores beat another ranked opponent, taking down Missouri 17-10 at home. It wasn’t pretty, but Diego Pavia and Co. figured out a way to get it done. The Commodores play at Texas on Saturday.Unbeaten Navy replaced South Florida as my fifth conference champion, after the Bulls fell 34-31 at Memphis on Saturday. But as Kyle noted, the Midshipmen are about to hit the meat of their schedule.CFP quarterfinalsWednesday, Dec. 31CFP quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl ClassicAT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)7:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 2 IndianaSchlabach: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 4 AlabamaThursday, Jan. 1CFP quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange BowlHard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)Noon, ESPNBonagura: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 AlabamaSchlabach: No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 2 IndianaCFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by PrudentialRose Bowl (Pasadena, California)4 p.m., ESPNBonagura: No. 8 Georgia Tech vs. No. 1 Ohio StateSchlabach: No. 9 Oregon vs. No. 1 Ohio StateCFP quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)8 p.m., ESPNBonagura: No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 3 Texas A&MSchlabach: No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Texas A&MQuarterfinals breakdownBonagura: With no major upsets near the top this week, there were no changes here for me. Three Big Ten teams, four SEC teams, plus Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals.Georgia Tech still feels very much like an unknown relative to the others. The Yellow Jackets haven’t beaten a ranked team and won’t play one (Georgia) for another month before a would-be ACC title game. The unbeaten record matters, but it will be interesting to see how the selection committee slots them when those rankings are released a week from Tuesday.Malachi Hosley takes off during Georgia Tech’s win over Syracuse, which pushed the Yellow Jackets to 8-0. AP Photo/Mike StewartSchlabach: My top five teams remained unchanged, although I seriously considered elevating Indiana to No. 1. The Hoosiers steamrolled UCLA 56-6 at home Saturday, piling up 475 yards of offense and forcing three turnovers. The Bruins had been red hot but couldn’t get anything going against IU.Texas A&M was equally impressive in its 49-25 rout of LSU on the road. Tiger Stadium is one of the most difficult road venues in the country, especially at night, but the Aggies didn’t have any problems. They outscored the Tigers 35-7 after halftime and won in Baton Rouge for the first time since 1994.There would be two SEC vs. SEC matchups in my quarterfinals, along with one Big Ten vs. Big Ten game. Hopefully, the CFP selection committee would set the seedings to avoid that, but it’s going to be difficult to do if there are four or five SEC teams and three from the Big Ten in the field.CFP semifinals, national championship gameThursday, Jan. 8CFP semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta BowlState Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)7:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Ohio StateSchlabach: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio StateFriday, Jan. 9CFP semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach BowlMercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)7:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 IndianaSchlabach: No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 IndianaMonday, Jan. 19CFP national championshipHard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)7:45 p.m., ESPNBonagura: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 1 Ohio StateSchlabach: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 1 Ohio StateNational championship breakdownBonagura: Here we are on Oct. 26, and Indiana has a strong case to be the No. 1 team in college football. Just as it looked like UCLA had tapped into something special, the Hoosiers calmly beat the Bruins by 50. These types of projections are always fun to go back and laugh at come playoff time, but two postseason games between Ohio State and Indiana — Big Ten title game and national championship — seem more likely every week.Let’s also take a minute to acknowledge that it was the correct decision to go away from giving byes to the top four conference champions. It completely threw off the seeding and a natural seeding process for all teams, as is the case now, makes much more sense.Schlabach: I feel good about the Buckeyes and Hoosiers reaching the semifinals with the way they’re currently playing. But it’s anyone’s guess as to who the other two teams might be.Texas A&M has road games left at Missouri and Texas, and the Aggies haven’t been in this position in quite some time. Marcel Reed should be a Heisman Trophy candidate and Mike Elko has done a fantastic job bringing some bite to the defense.I went with Georgia as my fourth team, although the Bulldogs would have to get past Alabama to reach the semifinals — and that has rarely happened lately. The Bulldogs have some obvious shortcomings on defense, but with their offensive line getting healthy, Kirby Smart’s team is going to have a chance to outscore its opponents. Gunner Stockton is playing very well, and he has plenty of weapons around him.Complete bowl season scheduleSaturday, Dec. 13Cricket Celebration BowlMercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)Noon, ABCBonagura: Alabama State vs. North Carolina CentralSchlabach: Jackson State vs. Delaware StateLA BowlSoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)9 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Washington State vs. Boise StateSchlabach: Washington vs. Boise StateTuesday, Dec. 16IS4S Salute to Veterans BowlCramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)9 p.m., ESPNBonagura: UConn vs. ToledoSchlabach: Jacksonville State vs. Coastal CarolinaWednesday, Dec. 17StaffDNA Cure BowlCamping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)5 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Kennesaw State vs. TempleSchlabach: Buffalo vs. Marshall68 Ventures BowlHancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)8:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Marshall vs. Western MichiganSchlabach: Liberty vs. Western MichiganFriday, Dec. 19Myrtle Beach BowlBrooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)Noon, ESPNBonagura: Bowling Green vs. Old DominionSchlabach: East Carolina vs. James MadisonUnion Home Mortgage Gasparilla BowlRaymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)3:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: North Texas vs. Florida StateSchlabach: Kansas State vs. Wake ForestMonday, Dec. 22Famous Idaho Potato BowlAlbertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)2 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Ohio vs. San Diego StateSchlabach: Ohio vs. Utah StateTuesday, Dec. 23Editor’s Picks2 RelatedBoca Raton BowlFlagler Credit Union Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)2 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Southern Miss vs. Jacksonville StateSchlabach: Temple vs. ToledoNew Orleans Bowl Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)5:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Western Kentucky vs. TroySchlabach: Western Kentucky vs. Southern MissScooter’s Coffee Frisco BowlFord Center at The Star (Frisco, Texas)9 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Fresno State vs. BaylorSchlabach: North Texas vs. Kennesaw StateWednesday, Dec. 24Sheraton Hawai’i BowlClarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)8 p.m., ESPNBonagura: New Mexico vs. CaliforniaSchlabach: Hawai’i vs. TulaneFriday, Dec. 26GameAbove Sports BowlFord Field (Detroit)1 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Maryland vs. Miami (Ohio)Schlabach: Maryland vs. Central MichiganRate BowlChase Field (Phoenix)4:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: UCF vs. NorthwesternSchlabach: Iowa State vs. MinnesotaSERVPRO First Responder BowlGerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)8 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Texas State vs. Central MichiganSchlabach: San Diego State vs. Miami (Ohio)Saturday, Dec. 27Go Bowling Military BowlNavy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)11 a.m., ESPNBonagura: Clemson vs. TulaneSchlabach: Clemson vs. South FloridaBad Boy Mowers Pinstripe BowlYankee Stadium (Bronx, New York)Noon, ABCBonagura: SMU vs. MinnesotaSchlabach: Pittsburgh vs. NorthwesternWasabi Fenway BowlFenway Park (Boston)2:15 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Wake Forest vs. South FloridaSchlabach: NC State vs. MemphisPop-Tarts BowlCamping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)3:30 p.m., ABCBonagura: Virginia vs. HoustonSchlabach: Louisville vs. CincinnatiSnoop Dogg Arizona BowlArizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)4:30 p.m., CW NetworkBonagura: Buffalo vs. Hawai’iSchlabach: Washington State vs. Fresno StateIsleta New Mexico BowlUniversity Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)5:45 p.m., ESPNBonagura: UNLV vs. ArizonaSchlabach: New Mexico vs. ArizonaTaxSlayer Gator BowlEverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)7:30 p.m. ABCBonagura: Notre Dame vs. LSUSchlabach: Virginia vs. LSUKinder’s Texas BowlNRG Stadium (Houston)9:15 p.m., ESPNBonagura: TCU vs. OklahomaSchlabach: Houston vs. OklahomaMonday, Dec. 29JLab Birmingham BowlProtective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)2 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Memphis vs. James MadisonSchlabach: Troy vs. UConnTuesday, Dec. 30Radiance Technologies Independence BowlIndependence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)2 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Kansas vs. Louisiana TechSchlabach: Kansas vs. Louisiana TechMusic City BowlNissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)5:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Nebraska vs. TexasSchlabach: Illinois vs. AuburnValero Alamo BowlAlamodome (San Antonio)9 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Houston vs. WashingtonSchlabach: Texas Tech vs. USCWednesday, Dec. 31ReliaQuest BowlRaymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)Noon, ESPNBonagura: Illinois vs. MissouriSchlabach: Iowa vs. TennesseeTony the Tiger Sun BowlSun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)2 p.m., CBSBonagura: Duke vs. Arizona StateSchlabach: SMU vs. Arizona StateCheez-It Citrus BowlCamping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)3 p.m., ABCBonagura: Michigan vs. VanderbiltSchlabach: Michigan vs. TexasSRS Distribution Las Vegas BowlAllegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)3:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Iowa vs. UtahSchlabach: Nebraska vs. CaliforniaFriday, Jan. 2Lockheed Martin Armed Forces BowlAmon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)1 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Kansas State vs. East CarolinaSchlabach: Baylor vs. ArmyAutoZone Liberty BowlSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)4:30 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Iowa State vs. AuburnSchlabach: TCU vs. UNLVDuke’s Mayo BowlBank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)8 p.m., ESPNBonagura: Pitt vs. TennesseeSchlabach: Duke vs. MissouriHoliday BowlSnapdragon Stadium (San Diego)8 p.m., FoxBonagura: Louisville vs. USCSchlabach: Notre Dame vs. Utah
已发布: 2025-10-26 17:29:00
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