Updated Bowl Predictions After 2026 Week 11 CFP Rankings, Bracket Projections

There's a bit of clarity at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings with three weeks left in the regular season.

The Georgia Bulldogs have established, for now, that they are the top-ranked team in the country.

The two remaining undefeated teams, the Utah Utes and UCLA Bruins, have inside tracks to first-round byes in the 12-team playoff field.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish sit at No. 5 with a clear directive to win out to have a shot at the top four, and at minimum, confirm a playoff spot.

Most of the CFB Playoff drama will occur in the bottom half of the top 12 because a handful of teams have dropped from those places on a week-by-week basis.

CFB Playoff Projections

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First Round

No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Alabama

No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Texas

No. 10 Texas Tech at No. 7 Miami

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Indiana

First-Round Byes

No. 1 Georgia

No. 2 Utah

No. 3 UCLA

No. 4 Notre Dame

Georgia On Track For No. 1 Overall Seed

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Georgia is on the inside track to land the No. 1 overall seed in the CFB Playoff.

The Bulldogs are back at No. 1 after the Miami Hurricanes fell to Notre Dame in Week 10.

Kirby Smart's team can add a pair of ranked victories to its resume in the next two weeks against the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks.

UGA could be 5-0 against ranked foes going into the SEC Championship Game, where it would have a chance to land another Top 25 victory.

Six wins against Top 25 teams would be enough to claim the No. 1 overall seed, especially if UCLA, Utah and Notre Dame are the other three teams in the top four.

No single team has been clear above the rest in college football this season, but if UGA goes into the playoff at 12-1, it has the case to be the clear favorite to win the playoff.

Fight For At-Large Spots Is Wide Open

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The race for the at-large positions could go any which way in the next three weeks.

A week ago, the Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels lost to take themselves out of at-large contention.

Any team outside the top five should not feel confident about their place in the 12-team field, especially the ninth-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, who fell five spots on their bye week because of their weak schedule.

The fight for the last two or three spots, though, could be the most fascinating competition.

The BYU Cougars or Texas Tech Red Raiders would land in the Big 12 Championship Game, which puts them at risk for another loss at the hands of No. 2 Utah.

The Kentucky Wildcats have a tough road test against the Missouri Tigers in Week 12 and the Tennessee Volunteers still have to play LSU at home on the same weekend.

Any potential losses opens the door for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Houston Cougars, Iowa Hawkeyes, or others further down the rankings to place themselves into the top 11.

Unpredictability has been the theme of the 2026 college football season, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the rankings mixed up a few more times before Selection Sunday.