College Football Bowl Projections Week 8: New Mexico Seals Successive Bowl Season Slot

The 2026 college football season has been as unpredictable as it has entertaining, but that’s what makes forecasting the future so fun. Several teams secured a place in the postseason party in the last seven days, but which December destination awaits them?

PFN’s college football bowl projections following Week 8 forecast which teams will make it to six wins, who they might face, and where they might play, powered by PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter (FPM).

College Football Bowl Projections | Playoff Bowls

Peach BowlIndiana vs. Georgia

Cotton BowlUCLA vs. Miami (FL)

Rose BowlAlabama vs. Ohio State

Fiesta BowlNotre Dame vs. Utah

Orange BowlNotre Dame vs. Ohio State

Sugar BowlMiami (FL) vs. Georgia

Week 8 of the 2026 college football season dramatically reshaped the race for the 12-team College Football Playoff, particularly at the sharp end of the field. The BYU Cougars, previously the number two team in the country, would have been a lock for a first-round bye but defeat to the UCF Knights dents those aspirations.

Per PFN’s College Football Playoff meter, the Miami Hurricanes (94.5%), Ohio State Buckeyes (78.8%), Utah Utes (64.6%), and Georgia Bulldogs (41.2%) have the best chance to receive a top-four seed at the end of the season and secure a first-round bye following Week 8.

In our latest college football bowl projections, the presumptive Big Ten champion Buckeyes would take up the conference’s residency in the Rose Bowl, although that path to Pasadena becomes more complex with the loss of quarterback Julian Sayin. We’re about to find out about Ohio State’s legitimacy in Week 9.

If Utah wins the Big 12, which they have a 41.7% chance to do according to PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter, they’d likely secure a first-round bye and geographically make sense as a fit for the Fiesta Bowl. A potential clash with a Notre Dame Fighting Irish team who only has a 17.5% of making the top four awaits.

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Despite their shock defeat to the Auburn Tigers in Week 7, Georgia is still the hot favorite to land an SEC title, with a 41.5% chance of emerging victorious from one of the most unpredictable seasons of SEC football we’ve seen in recent times.

The Peach Bowl is the logical location for Kirby Smart’s team in our latest college football bowl projections, with a matchup against an Indiana Hoosiers team with the second best odds (39.8%) to win the Big Ten following their regular season defeat to the Buckeyes.

The remaining quarterfinal of these projections sees the UCLA Bruins and Miami Hurricanes collide in the Cotton Bowl. Bob Chesney has turned around the fortunes of this Bruins team in just one season, and PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives UCLA a 73.3% chance of reaching the 12-team tournament a year after going 3-9.

While there is no such thing as a certainty in college football this fall, Miami is about as close to one as you’ll find. The ‘Canes currently have a 99.3% chance of reaching the ACC Championship Game, a 99.0% chance of reaching the College Football Playoff, and a 94.5% chance of opening their postseason at the quarterfinal stage.

College Football Bowl Projections | Non-Playoff Bowls

• Celebration Bowl
  South Carolina State vs. Alabama A&M
• IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
  Arkansas State vs. Buffalo
• Frisco Football Classic
  Middle Tennessee vs. Georgia State
• Boca Raton BowlTexas State vs. Liberty
• Gasparilla BowlUSF vs. Mississippi State
• Myrtle Beach Bowl
  UConn vs. Appalachian State
• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
  North Dakota State vs. Toledo
• Cure Bowl
  Western Michigan vs. UAB
• Puerto Rico Bowl
  North Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech
• Independence Bowl
  Baylor vs. Oregon State
• New Orleans Bowl
  Georgia Southern vs. Western Kentucky
• Armed Forces Bowl
  FAU vs. Kansas State
• Frisco Bowl
  East Carolina vs. South Alabama
• New Mexico Bowl
  Wyoming vs. Marshall
• Hawai’i Bowl
  UNLV vs. Jacksonville State
• Pinstripe Bowl
  Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
• Fenway Bowl
  Virginia vs. North Texas
• Duke’s Mayo BowlVirginia Tech vs. Nebraska
• 68 Ventures BowlMiami (OH) vs. Louisiana
• Cactus Bowl
  Illinois vs. Cincinnati
• Military Bowl
  Clemson vs. Memphis
• Birmingham Bowl
  UTSA vs. South Carolina
• Pop-Tarts Bowl
  Wake Forest vs. Houston
• Alamo Bowl
  Texas Tech vs. Oregon
• Gator Bowl
  Louisville vs. Tennessee
• Music City Bowl
  Northwestern vs. Oklahoma
• ReliaQuest Bowl
  Iowa vs. Ole Miss
• Sun Bowl
  Duke vs. Washington
• Las Vegas Bowl
  Penn State vs. Arizona
• Texas Bowl
  Oklahoma State vs. Florida
• Citrus Bowl
  Wisconsin vs. LSU
• First Responder Bowl
  Army vs. Florida State
• Liberty Bowl
  UCF vs. Missouri
• Arizona Bowl
  Ohio vs. New Mexico
• Holiday Bowl
  SMU vs. USC
• Poinsettia Bowl
  Boise State vs. Arizona State

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.