College football’s Week 2 slate for the 2026 season featured a massive comeback by Texas to beat Ohio State, Michigan defeating Oklahoma and Boise State knocking off Memphis in a crucial game for positioning in the Group of 6. The Longhorns move to the No. 1 spot in the playoff rankings after Saturday night’s win, while USC joins the 12-team field after losses by Oklahoma and Oregon.

The postseason begins on Dec. 15 with two matchups and continues until Jan. 25 with the national championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The playoffs start on Dec. 18 with one first-round game, followed by three on Saturday, Dec. 19, hosted at on-campus sites. The quarterfinals are slated for Dec. 30 and Jan. 1. The semifinals for the College Football Playoff take place on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15; the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl host the matchups.

Due to conference realignment, some of the bowl tie-ins will be scrambled again in ’26. Former Pac-12 teams are eligible for bowl appearances in the conference’s old tie-ins. One postseason contest — the Arizona Bowl — has yet to set a date for its matchup.

Just missing the projections: Appalachian State, North Texas, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Northwestern, UCF, Wisconsin, Texas State, Western Kentucky, UConn, Temple, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, San Jose State, FIU and Louisiana. How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports’ predictions for every bowl and playoff game in 2026-27 after Week 2:

College Football Bowl Projections for 2026-27(After Week 2)

Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 15)

Location: Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Tie-In: CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt/American
Projection: Kennesaw State vs. Georgia Southern

Frisco Football Classic (Dec. 15)

Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/MW/Sun Belt
Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. UMass

Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 18)

Location: Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/MW/Sun Belt
Projection: Troy vs. Liberty

Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 18)

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Memphis* vs. Vanderbilt

Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 21)

Location: Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: Tulsa vs. Marshall

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 21)

Location: Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Toledo vs. North Dakota State

Puerto Rico Bowl (Dec. 22)

Location: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Tie-In: MAC vs. American/CUSA/Sun Belt
Projection: Miami (Ohio) vs. Florida Atlantic

Cure Bowl (Dec. 22)

Location: Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: South Florida vs. Western Michigan

Independence Bowl (Dec. 22)

Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Conference USA/Pac-12
Projection: West Virginia vs. Tulane*

New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23)

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Delaware vs. James Madison

Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23)

Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Group of 6
Projection: Arizona State vs. Air Force

Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23)

Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In: Group of 6 vs. Group of 6
Projection: Old Dominion vs. Colorado State

Poinsettia Bowl (Dec. 23)

Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In: Pac-12 vs. Former Pac-12 Teams
Projection: Fresno State vs. UCLA

New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 24)

Location: University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tie-In: Mountain West vs. Group of 6
Projection: New Mexico vs. California*

Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24)

Location: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii
Tie-In: Mountain West vs. American/Pac-12
Projection: Hawaii vs. San Diego State

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: Pitt vs. Minnesota

Fenway Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: NC State vs. Army

Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Iowa

68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Tie-In: CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: Jacksonville State vs. Arkansas State

Cactus Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Projection: TCU vs. Illinois

Military Bowl (Dec. 28)

Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Navy

Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28)

Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Clemson vs. Utah

Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29)

Location: Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.
Tie-In: American/ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Mississippi State vs. Duke

Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 29)

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big 12
Projection: Louisville vs. Houston

Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29)

Location: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Projection: BYU vs. Oregon

Gator Bowl (Dec. 30)

Location: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: SMU vs. Florida

Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)

Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Nebraska vs. South Carolina

ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Michigan vs. Tennessee

Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Virginia vs. Arizona

Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In: Pac-12 vs. SEC
Projection: Washington vs. Oklahoma

Texas Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Missouri

Citrus Bowl (Jan. 2)

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Penn State vs. Alabama

First Responder Bowl (Jan. 2)

Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Tie-In: Group of 6/Big 12
Projection: Colorado vs. UTSA

Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2)

Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Kansas State vs. Auburn

Arizona Bowl (TBD)

Location: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Ohio vs. UNLV

College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff First Round

Games to be played on Dec. 18 and Dec. 19. Contests will be played at home site of higher-ranked team.

No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Miami vs. No. 11 Texas Tech
No. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 USC
No. 8 Texas A&M vs. No. 9 Ole Miss

College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30)

Location: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Projection: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Miami

Peach Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 LSU

Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs No. 9 Ole Miss

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Projection: No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Ohio State

Semifinals

Orange Bowl (Jan. 14)

Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Notre Dame

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 15)

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Ohio State

National Championship

Date: Jan. 25, 2026
Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Projection: No. 1 Texas over No. 2 Georgia

*Indicates conference not projected to fulfill all of its bowl tie-ins. An at-large team will be selected to fill those spots.

Related: College Football Rankings: Athlon Sports Top 25 (After Week 2)

Related: Top 25 Predictions: What the AP Poll Will Look Like After Week 2

Related: Penn State Rewards Matt Campbell’s Trust, Shrugs Off Slow Start to Topple Temple

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Yahoo Sports