College football's Week 9 schedule produced several results that significantly altered the
projected playoff field and bowl projections
following Saturday's action. Ohio State and Indiana take the top two seeds once again, with Alabama, Texas A&M, and Georgia rounding out the top five. After its win over Missouri, Vanderbilt moves into the projected playoff field, with Notre Dame and BYU the first two teams out of the field and on the bubble.
Week 9 results also impacted bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff. LSU falls in the SEC bowl pecking order after its loss to Texas A&M, while Auburn moves to the Texas Bowl after a victory at Arkansas. Cincinnati and Houston are also on the rise in Big 12 bowl projections after wins on Saturday.
Just missing the bowl projections after Week 9: UTSA, Florida State, Utah State, Georgia Southern, South Carolina, Penn State, Rutgers, Michigan State, Syracuse, UCF, Washington State, San Jose State, Bowling Green, Rice, Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, Colorado, New Mexico State, Liberty, ULM, Wyoming, FIU, and Coastal Carolina.
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 9:
Location:SoFi Bowl in Inglewood, Calif.
Tie-In:Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Projection:Boise 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:Marshall vs. UConn
Location:Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:SMU vs. Memphis
Location:Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
Tie-In:MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection:Buffalo vs. San Diego 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:Washington State vs. Appalachian State
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:UNLV vs. Kansas 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:Notre Dame vs. BYU
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:Texas State* vs. New Mexico
Location:EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:Louisville vs. Oklahoma
Location:NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection:Houston vs. Auburn
Location:Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.
Tie-In:ACC/American vs. SEC
Projection:South Florida 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:Cincinnati vs. USC
Location:Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Nebraska vs. Tennessee
Location:Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
Tie-In:ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection:Clemson 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:TCU vs. Florida
Location:Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:Virginia vs. Missouri
Location:Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection:Pitt 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 Tulane
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Georgia TechNo. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Texas Tech
No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt
Location:AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection:No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 7 Miami
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. 8 Ole Miss
Location:Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection:No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 6 Oregon
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 9
Related: College Football Is So Many Things, Including FIU's 'Vice Night' at Pitbull Stadium
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
