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2026 Strength of Schedule 1. Texas (SEC) 2. Michigan (B10) 3. Ohio State (B10) 4. Oklahoma (SEC) 5. Georgia (SEC) 6. Michigan State (B10) 7. Purdue (B10) 8. USC (B10) 9. Arkansas (SEC) 10. Northwestern (B10) 11. North Carolina (ACC) 12. Florida (SEC) 13. Mississippi State (SEC) 14. Tennessee (SEC) 15. Washington (B10) 16. Nebraska (B10) 17. Kentucky (SEC) 18. UCLA (B10) 19. Stanford (ACC) 20. Missouri (SEC) 21. Alabama (SEC) 22. Indiana (B10) 23. Arizona (B12) 24. LSU (SEC) 25. Duke (ACC)
Latest Schedule & Updates
THIS WEEKS SCHEDULE :

917- Syracuse @ Pittsburgh
918- Miami @ Wake Forest
918- Houston @ Texas Tech
918- Portland State @ Oregon
919- Arizona St @ Kansas
919- We. Virginia @ Virginia
919- Coastal Car. @ Delaware
919- Georgia @ Arkansas
919- Tulane @ Kansas St
919- Bowling Green @ Iowa State
919- Mercer @ Georgia Tech
919- No. Carolina @ Clemson
919- Akron @ Minnesota
919- Kent St @ Ohio State
919- Buffalo @ Penn State
919- Ea. Michigan @ Wisconsin
919- Troy @ Missouri
919- NC State @ Vanderbilt
919- Wyoming @ Ce. Michigan
919- Maine @ Boston Col
919- Southern Illino @ Illinois
919- Temple @ Toledo
919- Florida St @ Alabama
919- Kentucky @ Texas A&M
919- Miami (OH) @ Cincinnati
919- Utah St @ Utah
919- SMU @ Louisville
919- Wagner @ California
919- UTEP @ Michigan
919- USC @ Rutgers
919- Duquesne @ Wash. St
919- Stonehill @ Mass.
919- Stanford @ Duke
919- We. Kentucky @ Indiana
919- No Iowa @ @ Iowa
919- Ball State @ Liberty
919- La. Tech @ Baylor
919- Miss. St @ So. Carolina
919- SE Louisiana @ UL Monroe
919- Ea. Carolina @ Old Dominion
919- Florida Int @ Fl. Atlantic
919- Charlotte @ App State
919- Marshall @ Missouri St
919- Florida @ Auburn
919- Georgia St @ UCF
919- Murray State @ Oklahoma St
919- UConn @ So. Miss
919- UT Martin @ Memphis
919- We. Michigan @ Rice
919- Delaware State @ So. Florida
919- Nevada @ Mid. Tenn.
919- Ohio @ So. Alabama
919- Georgia So. @ J'ville St
919- Nicholls State @ Sam Houston
919- North Dakota St @ Nebraska
919- Eastern Washing @ Washington
919- LSU @ Ole Miss
919- New Mexico @ Oklahoma
919- BYU @ Colorado St
919- Colorado @ Northwestern
919- Va. Tech @ Maryland
919- Michigan St @ Notre Dame
919- Kennesaw St @ Tennessee
919- UTSA @ Texas
919- Arkansas St @ TCU
919- East Texas A&M @ Tulsa
919- UAB @ Louisiana
919- South Dakota @ Boise St
919- J. Madison @ San Diego St
919- No. Texas @ Texas St.
919- No. Illinois @ Arizona
919- North Dakota St @ Sacramento Stat
919- Purdue @ UCLA
919- Montana @ Oregon St
919- Fresno St @ San Jose St
AI Predictions
Copilot
COPILOT

Based on the odds and analytics shown on Pigskingeeks: College Football Playoff 
(CFP) division games only, my best playoff projection would start with the teams
that PigskinGeeks lists as favorites to win the CFP.

Most likely CFP field (12 teams)

Tier 1: Strongest bets

Ohio State
Notre Dame
Miami
Texas
Georgia

These teams have the shortest listed championship odds on PigskinGeeks, ranging
from 5/1 to 7/1.

Tier 2: Very strong contenders

Indiana
Oregon
LSU
Alabama

All are listed between 7/1 and 15/1 to win the CFP.

Tier 3: Bubble teams I'd currently project in

Texas Tech
Texas A&M
Oklahoma

These teams are also listed at 15/1 and appear to be viewed as legitimate 
playoff threats.

First teams out

Ole Miss
USC
Michigan
Penn State
Tennessee

These are the next group on the PigskinGeeks odds board and would be my 
primary alternatives if injuries or upsets shake up the season.

Conference champion prediction

Using the same PigskinGeeks data plus its strength-of-schedule rankings:

SEC: Texas or Georgia
Big Ten: Ohio State
ACC: Miami
Big 12: Texas Tech or Arizona
Highest-ranked Group of Five champion: difficult to project from the available 
data

Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Georgia all rank among the toughest schedules
on the site, which suggests they will have plenty of opportunities for high-
value wins if they survive their schedules.

My predicted final four
Ohio State
Texas
Georgia
Miami
My championship pick

Ohio State over Texas

That's the pick I would make strictly from the PigskinGeeks outlook because
 Ohio State is tied for the best title odds and also comes from a conference
 expected to place multiple elite teams into playoff contention.
Claude
CLAUDE

Current top of their Coaches Poll ranking:

*** Old poll late in updating *** Oklahoma is 24th ****

Ohio State (1-1)
Georgia (2-0)
Texas (2-0)
Notre Dame (2-0)
Indiana (2-0)
Oregon (1-1)
Miami (2-0)
LSU (2-0)
Texas A&M (2-0)
Oklahoma (1-1)

Also in their top 15-20: Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas Tech, USC, BYU, Penn State, SMU, 
Tennessee, Washington, Utah.

A rough playoff projection from this data would lean on teams that combine a 
strong ranking with a favorable path in their conference:

SEC: Georgia, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Alabama — an extremely deep group
Big Ten: Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, Penn State — also stacked
ACC: Miami leads the way
Big 12: Texas Tech, BYU as the top contenders
Group of Five spot: likely Tulane, App State, or similar contenders based on 
their SOS/power ratings

Important caveat: This is Week 2-3 data — records like 1-1 and 2-0 reflect a 
tiny sample, and these rankings will shift dramatically as conference play
unfolds through October and November. A real playoff prediction becomes much more 
reliable starting in mid-to-late October once head-to-head results and conference
 standings take shape. If you want, I can check back with you closer to the first
 CFP rankings release (typically early November) for a sharper projection.
Chatgtp
CHATGPT


Seed	Team	Likely route
1	Texas	SEC champion
2	Indiana	Big Ten champion
3	Miami	ACC champion
4	BYU	Big 12 champion
5	Notre Dame	Automatic bid if ranked in top 12
6	Georgia	At-large
7	Ohio State	At-large
8	LSU	At-large
9	Ole Miss	At-large
10	Texas A&M	At-large
11	Alabama	At-large
12	Best Group-of-Six champion	Automatic qualifier

The official 2026 format guarantees places to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC 
champions, plus the highest-ranked champion from the other six conferences.
Notre Dame receives an automatic bid if it finishes in the CFP top 12.

Teams closest to changing the projection
Michigan — perhaps the most interesting omission. Its victory over Oklahoma 
places it squarely in the race.
USC — a serious Big Ten at-large candidate if it loses no more than two games.
Texas Tech — could replace BYU as the Big 12 champion.
Tennessee — capable of replacing the sixth SEC team.
SMU or Louisville — possible second ACC team.
Oregon and Oklahoma — talented enough, but their early losses reduce their 
margin for error.

My strongest predictions are Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Ohio State
and Miami. They have multiple paths into the field. The SEC could conceivably 
receive six places, although five is probably a safer expectation.

The current AP poll broadly supports this group: Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, 
Indiana, Miami, Ohio State, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Alabama presently
 occupy ten of its first ten positions
DEEPAI
DEEPAI

 Consensus CFP Contenders

Based on odds, expert brackets, and projections from ESPN, CBS Sports, and others,
a clear tier of teams has emerged as the most likely to make the field:

    Notre Dame: The overwhelming favorite. They have the best odds to make the 
playoff (around -800) and are predicted as a top seed or the No. 1 overall seed 
by many experts.

    Ohio State: A near-consensus pick to make the field despite an early loss 
io Texas, with experts viewing them as a national title threat.

    Georgia: Consistently projected as a top-four seed and SEC champion in many
 brackets.

    Texas: After a huge comeback win over Ohio State, the Longhorns have surged 
to the top of some projections, including as the No. 1 seed in an AP-based bracket.

    Miami: A popular pick to win the ACC and secure a top-four seed with a
 potential first-round bye.

    Indiana, LSU, and Texas A&M: These teams are frequently listed in the next 
tier of contenders, often appearing in the 5-9 seed range in projected brackets.

📉 Teams on the Bubble

Several power programs are seen as being on the outside looking in or needing 
strong finishes:

    USC, Texas Tech, Penn State, and Alabama: These teams are often listed as the
 "first few teams out" or are projected to be in a fight for the final at-large 
spots.

    Boise State: The Broncos are widely considered the top Group of Six contender
and a likely automatic qualifier, often projected as the No. 12 seed.

If you're looking for a specific analyst's take (like from a "Pigskin Geeks" 
podcast), you might want to check their social media or podcast feed directly,
as their CFP picks may be discussed there rather than on their main site.
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Pigskingeeks

...
One hundred and thirty-six teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Teams are invited to the championship tournament (CFP).
Four or Five automatic qualifiers.
Seven or eight at large selections.

Five Algorithms

There are five algorithms used to rank Division I teams for the post-season championship tournament. The five methods include: (1) Rating Percentage Index (RPI); (2) NCAA Power Index (NPI); (3) Power Ratings (based on goal or point margins of victory); (4) Safe3Step based on Power Ratings and Quality Wins/Losses and finally; (5) Powerwise based on the Pair wise method and power ratings.

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