College football's Week 5 slate didn't disappoint with high-profile showdowns featuring Oregon-Penn State and Alabama-Georgia. Wins by the Ducks and Crimson Tide on the road as underdogs brought a significant shake up to the projected playoff field and bowl projections following Saturday's action. Oregon moves closer to the No. 1 seed behind Ohio State, with Alabama returning to the 12-team field. The Crimson Tide were a popular pick in the preseason to win the SEC, but a Week 1 loss at Florida State clouded the outlook for coach Kalen DeBoer's team.
Week 5 results also impacted bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff. Florida State fell to the Holiday Bowl after its defeat to Virginia on Friday night, with Georgia Tech moving up in the ACC bowl selection order to the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Just missing the bowl projections after Week 5: UCF, Washington State, San Diego State, Bowling Green, New Mexico, Kennesaw State, Colorado, and Louisiana.
How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports' preseason predictions for every bowl and playoff game in 2025-26 after Week 5:
Location:SoFi Bowl in Inglewood, Calif.
Tie-In:Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Projection:Boise State vs. Washington
Location:Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Tie-In:MAC vs. Sun Belt
Projection:Jacksonville State* vs. UConn
Location:Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In:Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection:James Madison vs. Toledo
Location:Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Tie-In: Sun Belt/AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection:East Carolina vs. Georgia Southern
Location:Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Tie-In: Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection:Liberty vs. Troy
Location:Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:Virginia vs. Memphis
Location:Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
Tie-In:MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection:Buffalo vs. Utah State
Location:Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
Tie-In:AAC/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection:North Texas vs. Old Dominion
Location:Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Tie-In:Conference USA vs. Sun Belt
Projection:Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss
Location:TBD in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In:AAC/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection:ULM vs. Rice
Location:Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii
Tie-In:American vs. Mountain West
Projection:UTSA vs. Hawaii
Location:Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. MAC
Projection:Maryland vs. Ohio
Location:Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Projection:Houston vs. Michigan State
Location:Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12/AAC/CUSA/ACC
Projection:Syracuse vs. Fresno State
Location:Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
Tie-In:ACC vs. American
Projection:Duke vs. Navy
Location:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection:Louisville vs. Iowa
Location:Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Tie-In:ACC vs. American
Projection:Pitt vs. Tulane
Location:Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Big 12
Projection:Georgia Tech vs. BYU
Location:Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Tie-In:MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection:Bowling Green vs. San Jose State
Location:University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tie-In:Conference USA vs. Mountain West
Projection:Texas State* vs. UNLV
Location:EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:Florida State vs. LSU
Location:NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection:TCU vs. Missouri
Location:Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.
Tie-In:ACC/American vs. SEC
Projection:NC State vs. Mississippi State
Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
Tie-In:American vs. Pac-12/Big 12
Projection:California vs. Cincinnati
Location:Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Minnesota vs. Auburn
Location:Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Projection:Iowa State vs. USC
Location:Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
Location:Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
Tie-In:ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection:SMU vs. Arizona
Location:Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Michigan vs. Tennessee
Location:Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection:Illinois vs. Arizona State
Location:Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. AAC/CUSA
Projection:Kansas vs. Army
Location:Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection:Baylor vs. South Carolina
Location:Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:Clemson vs. Vanderbilt
Location:Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection:Notre Dame vs. Utah
Location:TBD
Tie-In:Conference USA vs. MAC
Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. Miami (Ohio)
Games to be played on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. Contests will be played at home site of higher-ranked team.
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 12 South Florida
No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Penn StateNo. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Indiana
No. 8 Texas A&M vs. No. 9 Texas Tech
Location:AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection:No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 7 Texas
Location:Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection:No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6 Georgia
Location:Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Projection:No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Texas A&M
Location:Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection:No. 4 Ole Miss vs. No. 5 Alabama
Location:State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Projection:No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Alabama
Location:Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection:No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Miami
Date:Jan. 19, 2026
Location:Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection:Ohio State over Oregon
*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 Bowl Projections for 2025-26
Related: Why Not Memphis? Tigers Have Clear Path to College Football Playoff
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
