College Football Playoff and Bowl Projections After Week 3: North Carolina Into Postseason

The Tar Heels are one of several new teams in the mix, while Louisville confirmed it is a CFP contender by beating SMU.

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels enter our bowl projections this week. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That was an absolutely bonkers weekend in college football, and you don’t even have to touch upon all the theatrics surrounding Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, Miss., to know that. Vanderbilt won a game in the last second, Houston came up just short at the end against Texas Tech, Louisville confirmed it is a College Football Playoff contender and there were a half-dozen results which few saw coming going into Saturday. 

That’s reflected in the Sports Illustrated latest bowl projections, which include several new teams (hello, Bill Belichick at Fenway!) and plenty of intriguing matchups coming together across the postseason.

Here’s our projection of the College Football Playoff and 35 bowl games for the 2026–27 season after Week 3.

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College Football Playoff Projected Rankings After Week 3

1. Notre Dame
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Miami
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. Mississippi
8. BYU
9. LSU
10. USC
11. Louisville
12. Boise State

First Round

• No. 9 LSU at No. 8 BYU
• No. 10 USC at No. 7 Mississippi
• No. 11 Louisville at No. 6 Indiana
• No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Georgia

Quarterfinals

• Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Miami vs. No. 5 Georgia
• Rose Bowl: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Indiana
• Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 7 Mississippi
• Peach Bowl: No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 LSU

Semifinals

• Orange Bowl: No. 4 Miami vs. No. 9 LSU
• Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State

National Championship

• At Las Vegas: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Miami

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Bowl Projections After Week 3

Bowl Game	Date	Matchup
Salute to Veterans Bowl	Dec. 15	Old Dominion vs. Toledo
Frisco Football Classic	Dec. 15	Jacksonville State vs. North Texas
Boca Raton Bowl	Dec. 18	FAU vs. Appalachian State
Gasparilla Bowl	Dec. 18	Missouri vs. Duke
Myrtle Beach Bowl	Dec. 21	Delaware vs. UMass
Potato Bowl	Dec. 21	Miami (Ohio) vs. USF
Puerto Rico Bowl	Dec. 22	Western Kentucky vs. Ohio
Cure Bowl	Dec. 22	James Madison vs. UCF
Independence Bowl	Dec. 22	Kansas State vs. Minnesota
New Orleans Bowl	Dec. 23	Kennesaw State vs. Troy
Armed Forces Bowl	Dec. 23	Navy vs. New Mexico
Frisco Bowl	Dec. 23	Tulsa vs. Fresno State
Poinsettia Bowl	Dec. 23	Oregon State vs. Cal
New Mexico Bowl	Dec. 24	Colorado State vs. UNLV
Hawai’i Bowl	Dec. 24	San Diego State vs. Hawai’i
Pinstripe Bowl	Dec. 26	Virginia vs. Iowa
Fenway Bowl	Dec. 26	North Carolina vs. Memphis
Mayo Bowl	Dec. 26	Clemson vs. Wisconsin
68 Ventures Bowl	Dec. 26	Louisiana Tech vs. Texas State
Cactus Bowl	Dec. 26	West Virginia vs. Illinois
Military Bowl	Dec. 26	Wake Forest vs. UTSA
Arizona Bowl	Dec. 27	North Dakota State vs. Western Michigan
Holiday Bowl	Dec. 28	Utah vs. Virginia Tech
Birmingham Bowl	Dec. 29	Auburn vs. UCLA
Pop-Tarts Bowl	Dec. 29	Texas Tech vs. Pitt
Alamo Bowl	Dec. 29	Oregon vs. Houston
Gator Bowl	Dec. 30	Florida vs. SMU
Music City Bowl	Dec. 30	Kentucky vs. Nebraska
ReliaQuest Bowl	Dec. 31	Tennessee vs. Michigan
Sun Bowl	Dec. 31	Arizona vs. NC State
Las Vegas Bowl	Dec. 31	Washington vs. Oklahoma
Texas Bowl	Dec. 31	Texas A&M vs. TCU
Citrus Bowl	Jan. 2	Alabama vs. Penn State
First Responder Bowl	Jan. 2	Northwestern vs. Arizona State
Liberty Bowl	Jan. 2	Mississippi State vs. Oklahoma State

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