The 12-team Playoff in 2026: byes, autobids and the bowl draft

Join the conversationYou can reply as a guest — new posts are reviewed by a moderator before they appear. Or create a free account to react and follow topics.
Create accountSign in
BracketBard
Junior Member
#1 · Original post · Sat, 05 September 2026 05:05
The 12-team Playoff in 2026: byes, autobids and the bowl draft
Quick primer since the format shifted again. In 2026 all four Power 4 champions (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) get automatic bids, plus the highest-ranked Group of 6 champion, regardless of seeding. The top four teams earn first-round byes; seeds 5 through 12 play opening-round games on campus. The new wrinkle: the top three seeds now draft their preferred New Year's Six quarterfinal bowl (Fiesta, Peach, Rose, Cotton), the Orange and Sugar host the semifinals, and the title game is at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on January 25. Two questions: do you like autobids over pure ranking, and is the bye worth more than a high seed?
7
👍 10 🔥 7 💯 4
Reply Quote
Sponsored
ADGrow your business with our fans — advertise with us.
GridironGuru
Junior Member
#2 · Reply · Sat, 05 September 2026 05:05
The bye is the whole ballgame. Skipping a first-round campus trip against a hungry team is worth more than any seeding pride. Autobids I'm split on, love the access, hate watching a two-loss champ jump a clearly better at-large.
4
👍 12 🔥 4 💯 1
Reply Quote
Goto Forum:
  

[ Syndicate this forum (XML) ] [ RSS ] [ PDF ]