2026-27 Week 4 College Football Playoff, bowl projections

Week 4 brought the chaos with big wins, thrilling finishes and surprising upsets that shifted this week's bowl and playoff projections.

Among programs that changed the postseason picture this week was Iowa, which delivered a stunning ending against Michigan and showed that the Big Ten title race is wider open than expected. Florida and Mississippi State gained big conference wins. The Gators enter Week 5 undefeated for the first time since 2019, and Oregon travels back to Eugene with a road victory against USC.

New to the 2026 season, the Power 4 conference champions will get automatic bids to the CFP along with the highest-ranked Group of 6 team regardless of whether it is a league champ. The remaining slots in the 12-team field will go to the next seven highest-ranked teams. Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the field if it is among the top-12 teams.

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 5 through 8.

The festivities of bowl season kick off with the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 12 and wrap up with the CFP National Championship game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Jan. 25.

ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach will make their predictions for all the postseason matchups every week of the season until the actual matchups are set Dec. 6.

All times Eastern

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First-round games | Quarterfinals

Semis, title game | Bowl season

College Football Playoff

First-round games (at campus sites)

Friday, Dec. 18

8 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 19

Noon, ABC/ESPN

3:30 p.m., TNT

7:30 p.m., TNT

Bonagura: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Texas

Schlabach: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Indiana

Bonagura: No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Ohio State

Schlabach: No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Ohio State

Bonagura: No. 10 Utah at No. 7 Alabama

Schlabach: No. 10 Iowa at No. 7 Alabama

Bonagura: No. 9 Florida at No. 8 BYU

Schlabach: No. 9 BYU at No. 8 Florida

CFP quarterfinals

Wednesday, Dec. 30

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)

7:30 p.m., TNT

Bonagura: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Miami

Schlabach: No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 4 Miami

Friday, Jan. 1

Time slots for quarterfinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl to be determined on Selection Day (Dec. 6)

Quarterfinals Game 2

Noon, TNT

Bonagura: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Indiana

Schlabach: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Notre Dame

Quarterfinals Game 3

4 p.m., ABC/ESPN

Bonagura: No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 2 Notre Dame

Schlabach: No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 2 Georgia

Quarterfinals Game 4

8 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: No. 8 BYU vs. No. 1 Georgia

Schlabach: No. 8 Florida vs. No. 1 Texas

CFP semifinals, national championship game

Thursday, Jan. 14

Capital One Orange Bowl

Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)

7:30 p.m., TNT

Bonagura: No. 3 Indiana vs. No. 2 Notre Dame

Schlabach: No. 8 Florida vs. No. 4 Miami

Friday, Jan. 15

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)

7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN

Bonagura: No. 4 Miami vs. No. 1 Georgia

Schlabach: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Georgia

Monday, Jan. 25

CFP National Championship

Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)

7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN

Bonagura: No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Georgia

Schlabach: No. 4 Miami vs. No. 2 Georgia

Bowl season schedule

Saturday, Dec. 12

Cricket Celebration Bowl presented by Toyota

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)

Noon, ABC

Bonagura: South Carolina State vs. Jackson State

Schlabach: South Carolina State vs. Jackson State

Tuesday, Dec. 15

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl

Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)

5:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Miami (Ohio) vs. Florida Atlantic

Schlabach: UMass vs. Louisiana

Frisco Football Classic

The Star (Frisco, Texas)

9 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Illinois vs. Louisiana

Schlabach: Memphis vs. Texas State

Friday, Dec. 18

Boca Raton Bowl

Flagler Credit Union Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)

11 a.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Liberty vs. Tulsa

Schlabach: UCF vs. Western Michigan

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)

2:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Louisiana Tech vs. South Florida

Schlabach: North Carolina vs. Tulane

Monday, Dec. 21

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)

11 a.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Delaware vs. Georgia State

Schlabach: Jacksonville State vs. Marshall

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)

2:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Western Michigan vs. UNLV

Schlabach: Toledo vs. Air Force

Tuesday, Dec. 22

Puerto Rico Bowl

Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium (Bayamón, Puerto Rico)

1:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: UMass vs. South Alabama

Schlabach: Tulsa vs. Liberty

StaffDNA Cure Bowl

Acrisure Bounce House (Orlando, Florida)

5 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Ohio vs. James Madison

Schlabach: Louisiana Tech vs. Florida International

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)

8:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Oregon State vs. West Virginia

Schlabach: Washington vs. Cincinnati

Wednesday, Dec. 23

New Orleans Bowl

Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)

2 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Jacksonville State vs. Appalachian State

Schlabach: Delaware vs. James Madison

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)

5:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: UCF vs. Army

Schlabach: West Virginia vs. New Mexico

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)

7:30 p.m., The CW

Bonagura: Fresno State vs. Arizona State

Schlabach: Arizona vs. Oregon State

Frisco Bowl

The Star (Frisco, Texas)

9 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: NC State vs. Memphis

Schlabach: Texas State vs. Western Kentucky

Thursday, Dec. 24

Isleta New Mexico Bowl

University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

2:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: New Mexico vs. UTSA

Schlabach: UNLV vs. Fresno State

Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl

Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)

7 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Texas State vs. North Dakota State

Schlabach: Arizona State vs. North Dakota State

Saturday, Dec. 26

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

Yankee Stadium (New York)

Noon, ABC

Bonagura: SMU vs. Wisconsin

Schlabach: Duke vs. Wisconsin

Wasabi Fenway Bowl

Fenway Park (Boston)

2 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Wake Forest vs. East Carolina

Schlabach: Wake Forest vs. UTSA

Duke's Mayo Bowl

Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)

3:30 p.m., ABC

Bonagura: Virginia vs. Michigan

Schlabach: Louisville vs. Minnesota

68 Ventures Bowl

Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)

5:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Marshall vs. Air Force

Schlabach: Appalachian State vs. Miami (Ohio)

Cactus Bowl

Mountain America Stadium (Tempe, Arizona)

7:30 p.m., ABC

Bonagura: Northwestern vs. Oklahoma State

Schlabach: Northwestern vs. Baylor

Monday, Dec. 28

Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)

2 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Clemson vs. Temple

Schlabach: Virginia vs. South Florida

Trust & Will Holiday Bowl

Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)

5 p.m., The CW

Bonagura: Virginia Tech vs. UCLA

Schlabach: Pittsburgh vs. Utah

Tuesday, Dec. 29

JLab Birmingham Bowl

Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)

2 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Kentucky vs. Tulane

Schlabach: NC State vs. Oklahoma

Pop-Tarts Bowl

Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)

5:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Pittsburgh vs. Kansas State

Schlabach: Virginia Tech vs. Houston

Valero Alamo Bowl

Alamodome (San Antonio)

9 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Texas Tech vs. Oregon

Schlabach: Texas Tech vs. Oregon

Wednesday, Dec. 30

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)

11:30 a.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Duke vs. Auburn

Schlabach: SMU vs. Mississippi State

Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl

Nissan Stadium (Nashville)

3 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Iowa vs. Mississippi State

Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Kentucky

Thursday, Dec. 31

ReliaQuest Bowl

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)

Noon, ESPN

Bonagura: Nebraska vs. Tennessee

Schlabach: Michigan vs. Tennessee

Old El Paso Sun Bowl

Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)

2 p.m., CBS

Bonagura: Louisville vs. Arizona

Schlabach: Clemson vs. UCLA

Las Vegas Bowl

Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)

3:45 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: USC vs. Oklahoma

Schlabach: USC vs. Missouri

Kinder's Texas Bowl

Reliant Stadium (Houston)

7:30 p.m., ESPN

Bonagura: Cincinnati vs. Texas A&M

Schlabach: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M

Saturday, Jan. 2

Citrus Bowl

Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)

Noon, ABC

Bonagura: Penn State vs. LSU

Schlabach: Penn State vs. LSU

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)

3:30 p.m., ABC

Bonagura: Baylor vs. North Texas

Schlabach: Illinois vs. Army

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)

7:30 p.m., ABC

Bonagura: Houston vs. Missouri

Schlabach: Kansas State vs. Auburn

Date TBD

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