A total of 82 college football schools will participate in the 2026-27 postseason, featuring 35 bowl games outside the 12-team College Football Playoff. According to The Sporting News, the postseason lineup introduces new changes including the Cactus Bowl, the returning Poinsettia Bowl, and the Puerto Rico Bowl.
New Additions and Bowl Season Changes for 2026-27
The upcoming college football postseason introduces notable structural updates across the 35 bowl games played outside the College Football Playoff. According to The Sporting News, the Rate Bowl has officially become the Cactus Bowl, while the Poinsettia Bowl returns to the schedule alongside the added Puerto Rico Bowl. Fans can also anticipate the Pop-Tarts Bowl, bringing total participation across the 82 participating postseason schools to a comprehensive slate of matchups spanning December and January.
Postseason action kicks off on December 15 with the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl featuring Old Dominion against Kennesaw State, and the Frisco Football Classic pairing Georgia Southern with Western Kentucky. The schedule proceeds through a crowded December slate featuring games like the Boca Raton Bowl on December 18 between Troy and Delaware, and the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl matching Navy against Washington State.
First-Round College Football Playoff Matchups and Campus Sites
The 12-team College Football Playoff opens with first-round games played directly on campus sites on December 18 and December 19. According to The Sporting News, No. 10 USC will face No. 7 Miami in a prime-time matchup on December 18, offering relief to Trojans coach Lincoln Riley, who previously went 0-3 in the CFP while at Oklahoma. Miami enters the projection as the pick to win the ACC.
On December 19, No. 5 Texas takes on No. 12 Boise State representing the Pac-12, which operates with an eight-team conference configuration this season. Simultaneously, No. 8 Ole Miss matches up against No. 9 Oklahoma, and No. 6 Oregon hosts No. 11 BYU. The BYU matchup secures a late-night Saturday window as the Cougars project to win the Big 12, making their first playoff appearance alongside USC.
Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the Las Vegas Championship Game
Following the opening rounds, the quarterfinals commence at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on December 30. A heavy New Year’s Day triple-header follows on January 1, featuring the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The semifinal round shifts to the Capital One Orange Bowl and the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 14 and January 15. The Sporting News projects the semifinal bracket to feature matchups between Indiana and Texas, and Notre Dame and Georgia. These four prospective programs combined to place 17 players on the initial 2027 NFL Draft Top 25 Big Board. The entire postseason culminates on January 25 when Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas hosts the College Football Playoff championship game.
Comprehensive December and January Bowl Matchups
Beyond the playoff bracket, dozens of traditional bowl games fill the winter calendar. Late December features games such as the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl between Minnesota and Florida State on December 26, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl matching Florida against Pitt on the same day, and the Pop-Tarts Bowl pairing Texas Tech with Virginia Tech on December 29.
As the calendar turns to the final days of December and early January, marquee matchups include Alabama facing SMU in the ReliaQuest Bowl on December 31, Michigan meeting LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on January 2, and Tennessee battling Kansas State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl also on January 2.
