College football's Week 10 schedule produced several results that significantly altered the
projected playoff field and bowl projections
following Saturday's action. Ohio State and Indiana remain the top two seeds after wins in conference play, with Alabama, Texas A&M, and Georgia rounding out the top five. Notre Dame returns to the projected field after a win at Boston College, with Georgia Tech dropping out after a loss to NC State. Louisville takes the projected champion spot from the ACC, while Texas Tech and BYU claim two spots in the playoff for the Big 12.
Week 10 results also impacted bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma moves up in the SEC bowl pecking order after beating Tennessee, with Auburn dropping out of the projections after losing to Kentucky. Additionally, the Big 12 postseason outlook sees a few adjustments with two teams projected to make the playoff.
Just missing the bowl projections after Week 10: Clemson, North Carolina, Appalachian State, Utah State, Georgia Southern, South Carolina, Penn State, Rutgers, UCF, Washington State, San Jose State, Bowling Green, Rice, Florida Atlantic, New Mexico State, Texas State, Wyoming, and FIU.
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 10:
Location:SoFi Bowl in Inglewood, Calif.
Tie-In:Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Projection:San Diego State vs. Arizona
Location:Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Tie-In:MAC vs. Sun Belt
Projection:Jacksonville State* vs. Western Michigan
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. Troy
Location:Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Tie-In: Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection:Coastal Carolina vs. UConn
Location:Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:South Florida vs. Florida State
Location:Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
Tie-In:MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection:Buffalo vs. UNLV
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:Marshall vs. Liberty
Location:Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii
Tie-In:American vs. Mountain West
Projection:California* 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:Iowa State vs. Northwestern
Location:Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12/AAC/CUSA/ACC
Projection:UTSA vs. Boise 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:NC State vs. Illinois
Location:Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Tie-In:ACC vs. American
Projection:Wake Forest vs. Temple
Location:Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Big 12
Projection:Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Location:Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Tie-In:MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection:Central Michigan vs. Fresno State
Location:University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tie-In:Conference USA vs. Mountain West
Projection:Arkansas State* vs. New Mexico
Location:EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:Miami vs. Tennessee
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:Tulane vs. Mississippi State
Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
Tie-In:Conference USA vs. Big 12
Projection:Kennesaw State vs. Kansas
Location:Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Minnesota vs. LSU
Location:Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Projection:Houston 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 State
Location:Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Michigan vs. Texas
Location:Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection:Iowa vs. Utah
Location:Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. AAC/CUSA
Projection:Baylor vs. Army
Location:Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection:Kansas State vs. Florida
Location:Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:Pitt vs. Vanderbilt
Location:Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection:Virginia vs. Washington
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 Memphis
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 LouisvilleNo. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 BYU
No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 Notre Dame
Location:AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection:No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 7 Oregon
Location:Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection:No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 5 Georgia
Location:Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Projection:No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Notre Dame
Location:Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection:No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
Location:State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Projection:No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas A&M
Location:Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection:No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 3 Alabama
Date:Jan. 19, 2026
Location:Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection:Ohio State over Alabama
*Indicates conference not projected to fulfill all of its bowl tie-ins. An at-large team will be selected to fill those spots.
Related: Top 25 Predictions: What the AP Poll Will Look Like After Week 10
Related: College Football Coaching Carousel Rankings: Rating the Open Jobs in the 2025-26 Cycle
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
