2026 Bowl Projections after Week 3: Ole Miss, Louisville on the Rise

College football’s Week 3 slate for the 2026 season featured Ole Miss beating LSU in the biggest game of the weekend, Alabama rallying for a win over Florida State, Louisville outscoring SMU in a critical ACC showdown and Mississippi State and Florida picking up key wins in SEC play. Texas holds the No. 1 spot in the playoff rankings after a victory over UTSA, with Ole Miss moving inside of the top five to join Georgia, Notre Dame and Indiana.

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The postseason begins on Dec. 15 with two matchups and continues until Jan. 25 with the national championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The playoffs start on Dec. 18 with one first-round game, followed by three on Saturday, Dec. 19, hosted at on-campus sites. The quarterfinals are slated for Dec. 30 and Jan. 1. The semifinals for the College Football Playoff take place on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15; the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl host the matchups.

Due to conference realignment, some of the bowl tie-ins will be scrambled again in ’26. Former Pac-12 teams are eligible for bowl appearances in the conference’s old tie-ins. One postseason contest — the Arizona Bowl — has yet to set a date for its matchup.

Just missing the projections: Kentucky, Baylor, Georgia Southern, North Texas, NC State, Cincinnati, Northwestern, UCF, Wisconsin, Texas State, Western Kentucky, UConn, Temple, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, San Jose State, FIU and Louisiana. How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports’ predictions for every bowl and playoff game in 2026-27 after Week 3:

College Football Bowl Projections for 2026-27(After Week 3)

Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 15)

Location: Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.

Tie-In: CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt/American

Projection: Kennesaw State vs. Appalachian State

Frisco Football Classic (Dec. 15)

Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas

Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/MW/Sun Belt

Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. Tulsa

Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 18)

Location: Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.

Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/MW/Sun Belt

Projection: Troy vs. Liberty

Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 18)

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC

Projection: Memphis* vs. South Carolina

Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 21)

Location: Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt

Projection: UMass vs. Marshall

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 21)

Location: Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho

Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West

Projection: Toledo vs. North Dakota State

Puerto Rico Bowl (Dec. 22)

Location: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico

Tie-In: MAC vs. American/CUSA/Sun Belt

Projection: Miami (Ohio) vs. Florida Atlantic

Cure Bowl (Dec. 22)

Location: Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Fla.

Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt

Projection: South Florida vs. Western Michigan

Independence Bowl (Dec. 22)

Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Conference USA/Pac-12

Projection: Arizona vs. Tulane*

New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23)

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.

Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Sun Belt

Projection: Delaware vs. James Madison

Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23)

Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Group of 6

Projection: Arizona State vs. Air Force

Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23)

Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas

Tie-In: Group of 6 vs. Group of 6

Projection: Old Dominion vs. Colorado State

Poinsettia Bowl (Dec. 23)

Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.

Tie-In: Pac-12 vs. Former Pac-12 Teams

Projection: Fresno State vs. UCLA

New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 24)

Location: University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.

Tie-In: Mountain West vs. Group of 6

Projection: New Mexico vs. California*

Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24)

Location: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii

Tie-In: Mountain West vs. American/Pac-12

Projection: Hawaii vs. San Diego State

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.

Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten

Projection: Pitt vs. Minnesota

Fenway Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.

Tie-In: ACC vs. American

Projection: Duke vs. Army

Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten

Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Iowa

68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

Tie-In: CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt

Projection: Jacksonville State vs. Arkansas State

Cactus Bowl (Dec. 26)

Location: Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Big Ten

Projection: TCU vs. Illinois

Military Bowl (Dec. 28)

Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

Tie-In: ACC vs. American

Projection: North Carolina vs. Navy

Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28)

Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.

Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12

Projection: Clemson vs. Washington

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Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29)

Location: Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.

Tie-In: American/ACC vs. SEC

Projection: Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt

Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 29)

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

Tie-In: ACC vs. Big 12

Projection: Louisville vs. Oklahoma State

Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29)

Location: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Pac-12

Projection: Houston vs. Oregon

Gator Bowl (Dec. 30)

Location: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC

Projection: SMU vs. Oklahoma

Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)

Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC

Projection: Nebraska vs. Mississippi State

ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC

Projection: Michigan vs. Florida

Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas

Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12

Projection: Virginia vs. Utah

Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.

Tie-In: Pac-12 vs. SEC

Projection: USC vs. Missouri

Texas Bowl (Dec. 31)

Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC

Projection: Kansas State vs. Texas A&M

Citrus Bowl (Jan. 2)

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC

Projection: Penn State vs. Tennessee

First Responder Bowl (Jan. 2)

Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas

Tie-In: Group of 6/Big 12

Projection: Colorado vs. UTSA

Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2)

Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC

Projection: West Virginia vs. Auburn

Arizona Bowl (TBD)

Location: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.

Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West

Projection: Central Michigan vs. UNLV

College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff First Round

Games to be played on Dec. 18 and Dec. 19. Contests will be played at home site of higher-ranked team.

No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 12 Boise State

No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 BYU

No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Texas Tech

No. 8 LSU vs. No. 9 Alabama

College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30)

Location: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Projection: No. 4 Ole Miss vs. No. 5 Indiana

Peach Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.

Projection: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Miami

Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

Projection: No. 1 Texas vs No. 8 LSU

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)

Location: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.

Projection: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Ohio State

Semifinals

Orange Bowl (Jan. 14)

Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Projection: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ohio State

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 15)

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.

Projection:No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Indiana

National Championship

Date: Jan. 25, 2027

Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.

Projection: No. 1 Texas over No. 2 Georgia

*Indicates conference not projected to fulfill all of its bowl tie-ins. An at-large team will be selected to fill those spots.

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 8:30 AM.