2026 College Football Playoff bracket projection: UCLA misses cut, Notre Dame to top 4
CBS Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- UCLA, under first-year coach Bob Chesney, has started the season 5-0, their best start since 2022, but lost starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to a season-ending knee injury, which casts uncertainty on their playoff chances.
- Despite Iamaleava's injury, UCLA's strong rushing offense and defense give them a chance to remain competitive, with backup QB Ty Dieffenbach facing a tough upcoming schedule including Wisconsin, Michigan State, and USC.
- CBS Sports' College Football Playoff projections rank Georgia as the top team with a 99.8% playoff probability, followed by Ohio State, Miami, Notre Dame, and Alabama rounding out the top five.
- Indiana, Texas, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Utah, Kentucky, and Boise State complete the projected playoff field, with UCLA just missing the cut but still having opportunities to prove themselves in the remaining games.
- The playoff format includes first-round games on December 18-19, quarterfinals around New Year's, and semifinals in mid-January, with top seeds Georgia and Ohio State favored to advance deep into the postseason.
