24-Team College Football Playoff Simulator
The College Football Playoff and ESPN have a reported handshake deal for a 24-team playoff starting with the 2027 season. Seeds 1–8 get a bye and then a home game. Seeds 9–16 host seeds 17–24 in the first round. Pick every winner below, or run the bracket 10,000 times to see each team's title odds.
Tap a team to send it to the next round. The number beside each team is its chance to win that game.
National champion
Georgia
The field is 4 Power 4 champions, the highest-ranked Group of 6 team, and the next 19 teams by rank. All 24 are seeded by rank. Pick each champion, move teams up or down, or change a team’s power rating.
| Rank | Team | Conference2026 | Seed | Bid | Powerrating | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | SEC | 1Bye | Auto bid | ||
| 2 | Notre Dame | Independent | 2Bye | At-large | ||
| 3 | Miami | ACC | 3Bye | Auto bid | ||
| 4 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 4Bye | Auto bid | ||
| 5 | Indiana | Big Ten | 5Bye | At-large | ||
| 6 | Alabama | SEC | 6Bye | At-large | ||
| 7 | Texas | SEC | 7Bye | At-large | ||
| 8 | BYU | Big 12 | 8Bye | Auto bid | ||
| 9 | Ole Miss | SEC | 9 | At-large | ||
| 10 | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 10 | At-large | ||
| 11 | Utah | Big 12 | 11 | At-large | ||
| 12 | UCLA | Big Ten | 12 | At-large | ||
| 13 | Missouri | SEC | 13 | At-large | ||
| 14 | Tennessee | SEC | 14 | At-large | ||
| 15 | Kentucky | SEC | 15 | At-large | ||
| 16 | Mississippi State | SEC | 16 | At-large | ||
| 17 | Iowa | Big Ten | 17 | At-large | ||
| 18 | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 18 | At-large | ||
| 19 | USC | Big Ten | 19 | At-large | ||
| 20 | Houston | Big 12 | 20 | At-large | ||
| 21 | Wake Forest | ACC | 21 | At-large | ||
| 22 | LSU | SEC | 22 | At-large | ||
| 23 | Boise State | Pac-12 | 23 | Auto bid | ||
| 24 | SMU | ACC | 24 | At-large | ||
| 25 | Northwestern | Big Ten | — | Out |
24-Team CFP Format: What Is Reported as of Oct 2026
| Format | Reportedas of Oct 17, 2026 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2027 |
| Bids | 4 Power 4 champions, highest-ranked Group of 6 team, 19 at-large |
| Byes | Seeds 1–8 skip round one, then play at home |
| First round | Seeds 9–16 host 17–24 on campus |
| Second round | No. 1 v 16–17 winner, No. 2 v 15–18 winner; campus sites “most likely” (CFP director Rich Clark) |
| Later rounds | Quarterfinals and semifinals expected at the New Year’s Six bowls; title game in January |
| Conference title games | Expected to end for Power 4 leagues |
| Calendar | Season starts one week earlier, ends Thanksgiving weekend |
| Money | ESPN adds about $345 million a year for five years, on top of about $1.3 billion a year |
| Approval | No vote yet; deadline to change next season’s format is Dec. 1 |
Second-round pairings other than No. 1 and No. 2 follow a standard 24-team bracket. The CFP has not published them.
24-Team CFP Bracket Using the Oct 11, 2026 AP Poll
| Seed | Teamconference | APOct 11 | Bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GeorgiaSEC | 1 | Auto bid, bye |
| 2 | Notre DameIndependent | 2 | At-large, bye |
| 3 | MiamiACC | 3 | Auto bid, bye |
| 4 | Ohio StateBig Ten | 4 | Auto bid, bye |
| 5 | IndianaBig Ten | 5 | At-large, bye |
| 6 | AlabamaSEC | 6 | At-large, bye |
| 7 | TexasSEC | 7 | At-large, bye |
| 8 | BYUBig 12 | 8 | Auto bid, bye |
| 9 | Ole MissSEC | 9 | At-large |
| 10 | Texas TechBig 12 | 10 | At-large |
| 11 | UtahBig 12 | 11 | At-large |
| 12 | UCLABig Ten | 12 | At-large |
| 13 | MissouriSEC | 13 | At-large |
| 14 | TennesseeSEC | 14 | At-large |
| 15 | KentuckySEC | 15 | At-large |
| 16 | Mississippi StateSEC | 16 | At-large |
| 17 | IowaBig Ten | 17 | At-large |
| 18 | Oklahoma StateBig 12 | 18 | At-large |
| 19 | USCBig Ten | 19 | At-large |
| 20 | HoustonBig 12 | 20 | At-large |
| 21 | Wake ForestACC | 21 | At-large |
| 22 | LSUSEC | 22 | At-large |
| 23 | Boise StatePac-12 | 23 | Auto bid |
| 24 | SMUACC | 24 | At-large |
| Hostseeds 9–16 | Visitorseeds 17–24 | Winner visitsround 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Ole Miss | 24 SMU | 8 BYU |
| 10 Texas Tech | 23 Boise State | 7 Texas |
| 11 Utah | 22 LSU | 6 Alabama |
| 12 UCLA | 21 Wake Forest | 5 Indiana |
| 13 Missouri | 20 Houston | 4 Ohio State |
| 14 Tennessee | 19 USC | 3 Miami |
| 15 Kentucky | 18 Oklahoma State | 2 Notre Dame |
| 16 Mississippi State | 17 Iowa | 1 Georgia |
First team out: Northwestern (No. 25). Champions here are each Power 4 league’s highest-ranked team; Notre Dame is independent and gets in at-large.
24-Team vs 12-Team College Football Playoff: Bids, Byes and Games
| Playoff | 24 teamsreported, 2027 | 12 teams2024–2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Field size | 24 | 12 |
| Automatic bids | 5 | 5 |
| First-round byes | 8 | 4 |
| Campus rounds | 2 | 1 |
| Total games | 23 | 11 |
24-Team College Football Playoff Questions
- When does the 24-team College Football Playoff start?
- Reports say the 2027 season. The 2026 playoff stays at 12 teams. The CFP has until Dec. 1, 2026 to change the 2027 format.
- How many automatic bids are in a 24-team CFP?
- Five: the four Power 4 champions and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team. The other 19 spots are at-large picks.
- Do the top seeds get a bye in a 24-team playoff?
- Yes. Seeds 1 through 8 skip the first round and then host a second-round game on campus.
- How many games does a 24-team playoff have?
- 23 games: 8 in the first round, 8 in the second round, 4 quarterfinals, 2 semifinals and the title game.
- How does this simulator pick winners?
- Each team has a power rating in points. A 7-point edge gives about a 68% chance to win. Seeds 1–16 get 3 points for a home game in the first two rounds. You can change any rating.
Sources: ESPN (Thamel, Dinich: Oct 10, Oct 15, Oct 16), Yahoo Sports (Nick Bromberg, citing Ross Dellenger), OutKick (Mark Harris, citing Trey Wallace), Bleacher Report, NCAA.com AP poll (Oct 11, 2026).