Home / Sports / CFP Rankings Drop: Who Makes the Cut?
CFP Rankings Drop: Who Makes the Cut?
4 Nov
Summary
- First CFP rankings are released Tuesday, November 3rd.
- The playoff features a 12-team format with 5 automatic and 7 at-large bids.
- Bowl game selections will be made by top-seeded teams on Selection Sunday.
The initial College Football Playoff rankings for the 2026-27 season are set to be released on Tuesday, November 3rd. This marks the beginning of a series of weekly updates culminating in Selection Sunday on December 6th.
This season continues with the 12-team playoff structure, featuring five automatic qualifiers and seven at-large selections. Conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC automatically secure berths, with one additional automatic bid going to the highest-ranked team from a group of other conferences. Notre Dame also receives an automatic bid if ranked within the top 12. The remaining spots are at-large bids.
Top-seeded teams will play a key role in bowl game selections. The No. 1 seed chooses its quarterfinal bowl, followed by seeds 2 and 3 selecting from the remaining options, with seed 4 assigned the last spot. Similar preferences extend to the semifinal matchups. The playoff begins with first-round games on December 18th-19th, with quarterfinals on December 30th and January 1st, followed by semifinals on January 14th-15th. The national championship game is scheduled for January 25th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
