Week 5 of the college football season featured three ranked matchups, with Ohio State earning a big road conference win over Iowa, Missouri shocking the college football world with its 28-point victory against top-10 Florida, and Alabama silencing the cowbells with its dominant 33-point win over Mississippi State.
This week we saw big wins, performances that raised some questions and games that came down to the very last play as we take a look at how the postseason picture shifted following Week 5.
New to the 2026 season, the Power 4 conference champions will get automatic bids to the CFP along with the highest-ranked Group of 6 team regardless of whether it is a league champ. The remaining slots in the 12-team field will go to the next seven highest-ranked teams. Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the field if it is among the top-12 teams.
The four highest-ranked teams (not necessarily conference champions) will be awarded first-round byes. The other eight teams will meet in first-round games at the campus sites of seeds 5 through 8.
The festivities of bowl season kick off with the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 12 and wrap up with the CFP National Championship game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Jan. 25.
ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach will make their predictions for all the postseason matchups every week of the season until the actual matchups are set Dec. 6.
All times Eastern
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First-round games | Quarterfinals
Semis, title game | Bowl season
College Football Playoff
First-round games (at campus sites)
Friday, Dec. 18
8 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 19
Noon, ABC/ESPN
3:30 p.m., TNT
7:30 p.m., TNT
Bonagura: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Texas
Schlabach: No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Alabama
Bonagura: No. 11 UCLA at No. 6 Ohio State
Schlabach: No. 11 LSU at No. 6 Ohio State
Bonagura: No. 10 LSU at No. 7 Alabama
Schlabach: No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Indiana
Bonagura: No. 9 Utah at No. 8 BYU
Schlabach: No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 BYU
CFP quarterfinals
Wednesday, Dec. 30
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
7:30 p.m., TNT
Bonagura: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Miami
Schlabach: No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
Friday, Jan. 1
Time slots for quarterfinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to be determined on Selection Day (Dec. 6)
Quarterfinals Game 2
Noon, TNT
Bonagura: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Indiana
Schlabach: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Miami
Quarterfinals Game 3
4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Bonagura: No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 2 Notre Dame
Schlabach: No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 2 Georgia
Quarterfinals Game 4
8 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: No. 8 BYU vs. No. 1 Georgia
Schlabach: No. 9 Oregon vs. No. 1 Texas
CFP semifinals, national championship game
Thursday, Jan. 14
Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
7:30 p.m., TNT
Bonagura: No. 3 Indiana vs. No. 2 Notre Dame
Schlabach: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Georgia
Friday, Jan. 15
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Bonagura: No. 4 Miami vs. No. 1 Georgia
Schlabach: No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 1 Texas
Monday, Jan. 25
CFP National Championship
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Bonagura: No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Georgia
Schlabach: No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 2 Georgia
Bowl season schedule
Saturday, Dec. 12
Cricket Celebration Bowl presented by Toyota
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon, ABC
Bonagura: South Carolina State vs. Jackson State
Schlabach: South Carolina State vs. Jackson State
Tuesday, Dec. 15
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: UMass vs. Florida International
Schlabach: UMass vs. Louisiana
Frisco Football Classic
The Star (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Minnesota vs. Louisiana
Schlabach: Memphis vs. San Diego State
Friday, Dec. 18
Boca Raton Bowl
Flagler Credit Union Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
11 a.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Liberty vs. Tulsa
Schlabach: Appalachian State vs. Western Michigan
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Auburn vs. South Florida
Schlabach: Florida State vs. Tulane
Monday, Dec. 21
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
11 a.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Miami (Ohio) vs. Georgia State
Schlabach: Liberty vs. South Alabama
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Western Michigan vs. UNLV
Schlabach: Toledo vs. Air Force
Tuesday, Dec. 22
Puerto Rico Bowl
Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium (Bayamón, Puerto Rico)
1:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic
Schlabach: Tulsa vs. Delaware
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Acrisure Bounce House (Orlando, Florida)
5 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Ohio vs. James Madison
Schlabach: Louisiana Tech vs. Florida International
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
8:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Washington vs. Iowa State
Schlabach: Washington vs. UCF
Wednesday, Dec. 23
New Orleans Bowl
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
2 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Jacksonville State vs. Appalachian State
Schlabach: Jacksonville State vs. James Madison
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: UCF vs. Army
Schlabach: Cincinnati vs. New Mexico
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)
7:30 p.m., The CW
Bonagura: Arizona State vs. Fresno State
Schlabach: Arizona State vs. Oregon State
Frisco Bowl
The Star (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: NC State vs. Memphis
Schlabach: North Texas vs. New Mexico State
Thursday, Dec. 24
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
2:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: San José State vs. UTSA
Schlabach: UNLV vs. Texas State
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
7 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: North Dakota State vs. Texas State
Schlabach: North Dakota State vs. Fresno State
Saturday, Dec. 26
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium (New York)
Noon, ABC
Bonagura: SMU vs. Northwestern
Schlabach: Wake Forest vs. Wisconsin
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Fenway Park (Boston)
2 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Florida State vs. East Carolina
Schlabach: Louisville vs. UTSA
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
3:30 p.m., ABC
Bonagura: Clemson vs. Iowa
Schlabach: Duke vs. Northwestern
68 Ventures Bowl
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Louisiana Tech vs. Air Force
Schlabach: Florida Atlantic vs. Miami (Ohio)
Cactus Bowl
Mountain America Stadium (Tempe, Arizona)
7:30 p.m., ABC
Bonagura: Michigan vs. Oklahoma State
Schlabach: Kansas State vs. Penn State
Monday, Dec. 28
Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Virginia vs. Temple
Schlabach: NC State vs. South Florida
Trust & Will Holiday Bowl
Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)
5 p.m., The CW
Bonagura: Duke vs. Oregon State
Schlabach: Pittsburgh vs. Utah
Tuesday, Dec. 29
JLab Birmingham Bowl
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
2 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Kentucky vs. Tulane
Schlabach: North Carolina vs. Auburn
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Pittsburgh vs. Houston
Schlabach: Virginia Tech vs. Houston
Valero Alamo Bowl
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Texas Tech vs. Oregon
Schlabach: Texas Tech vs. UCLA
Wednesday, Dec. 30
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)
11:30 a.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Wake Forest vs. Ole Miss
Schlabach: SMU vs. Florida
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
3 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Penn State vs. Mississippi State
Schlabach: Minnesota vs. Kentucky
Thursday, Dec. 31
ReliaQuest Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
Bonagura: Wisconsin vs. Florida
Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Mississippi State
Old El Paso Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS
Bonagura: Virginia Tech vs. Arizona
Schlabach: Clemson vs. Arizona
Las Vegas Bowl
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
3:45 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: USC vs. Oklahoma
Schlabach: USC vs. Missouri
Kinder’s Texas Bowl
Reliant Stadium (Houston)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Kansas State vs. Texas A&M
Schlabach: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M
Saturday, Jan. 2
Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
Noon, ABC
Bonagura: Nebraska vs. Tennessee
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Tennessee
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
3:30 p.m., ABC
Bonagura: Cincinnati vs. North Texas
Schlabach: Virginia vs. Michigan
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Casino Del Sol Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
4:30 p.m., The CW
Bonagura: Toledo vs. New Mexico
Schlabach: Ohio vs. San José State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
7:30 p.m., ABC
Bonagura: Baylor vs. Missouri
Schlabach: Baylor vs. Oklahoma
