College Football Playoff bracket: What 12-team field would look like after second 2026 CFP rankings

Georgia surged to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, but it was the lower spots that completely reshaped the bracket. Alabama surged to No. 3 after its win over LSU, while UCLA moved to No. 4. The Bulldogs, No. 2 Utah, Tide and Bruins are the four projected byes in the bracket.

Despite not playing, reigning national champion Indiana dropped five spots to the No. 9 seed, going all the way from a first-round bye to not even hosting a playoff game. Conversely, Notre Dame went from the last team into the field to the top first-round host after outlasting Miami in Week 10.

After the rankings, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Miami and No. 8 Tennessee are projected as the four first round hosts. No. 11 Kentucky is the last team in the field, while No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 13 Wake Forest sit right outside the bubble.

Here is how the College Football Playoff bracket looks after the second CFP Rankings release of the 2026 season.

Notre Dame surges

Last week, Notre Dame was projected as the 11-seed and final at-large team in the College Football Playoff rankings. After beating then-No. 1 Miami, the Fighting Irish jumped several spots to No. 5, where they projected as a first-round host against 12-seed Boise State.

That would feature a next step against a feisty-but-beatable No. 4 UCLA squad in the second round before getting their shot against No. 1 Georgia. Getting back to the national semifinals would be a huge step -- and they would become the new favorite if they knocked off the Dawgs.

Indiana's a big loser

Despite not playing because of a bye week, Indiana dramatically fell in the bracket, from a first-round bye to not even hosting a home game. The Hoosiers have not played well over the past several weeks, and every one of their quality wins picked up yet another loss to ding them in the rankings.

Now, instead of earning a second straight first round bye, Indiana will instead have to sweat it out just to host a first round game. That would set up a tough road game at Neyland Stadium against 8-seed Tennessee before playing 1-seed Georgia in the second round. That's untenable for nearly any team.

Big 12 positioned well

The conference was one of the biggest losers of the first playoff rankings, but they're riding much higher in the second. Despite a loss to Utah, No. 10 BYU is finally getting the credit for beating a highly ranked Notre Dame, meaning they remain in the rankings with room to spare.

Even if the league falters, there are a few contingency plans. No. 12 Texas Tech is the first team out, leaving them in good shape. No. 14 Houston is also within striking distance. While No. 23 Arizona and No. 25 Oklahoma State probably can't rise all the way to the field, they can help raise resumes.

The Big 12 has not produced an at-large CFP team in the 12-team era, the only Power Four league that has failed to do so.