Georgia surged to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, but it was the lower spots that completely reshaped the bracket. Alabama surged to No. 3 after its win over LSU, while UCLA moved to No. 4. The Bulldogs, No. 2 Utah, Tide and Bruins are the four projected byes in the bracket. 

Despite not playing, reigning national champion Indiana dropped five spots to the No. 9 seed, going all the way from a first-round bye to not even hosting a playoff game. Conversely, Notre Dame went from the last team into the field to the top first-round host after outlasting Miami in Week 10. 

After the rankings, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Miami and No. 8 Tennessee are projected as the four first round hosts. No. 11 Kentucky is the last team in the field, while No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 13 Wake Forest sit right outside the bubble. 

Here is how the College Football Playoff bracket looks after the second CFP Rankings release of the 2026 season.