The College Football Playoff will be the same size this fall and operate under different rules for the third consecutive year. The field stays at 12 after the Big Ten and SEC failed to agree on expansion, but the way teams qualify has been rewritten.
Here's what Miami Hurricanes fans (and college football fans) need to know about the CFP going into the 2026 season.
The P4 conference champions are now guaranteed in
For the first time in CFP history, specific conferences hold automatic bids. The champions of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC are in, regardless of where the selection committee ranks them. That replaces the old system, which reserved five spots for the five highest-ranked conference champions of any conference.
The Group of Six spot no longer requires a conference title
The fifth automatic bid goes to the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt, and that team does not have to win its conference.
Notre Dame gets a standing invitation
If Notre Dame finishes in the top 12 of the final rankings, it is in automatically as an independent.
Historic bowl tie-ins are gone
The old system routed bye teams into quarterfinals based on conference history. That is finished. Under the new procedure, the top three seeds select their quarterfinal bowl in order of ranking, and the fourth seed takes whatever remains. For this season the quarterfinals are the Fiesta, Peach, Cotton and Rose Bowls, with the Orange and Sugar hosting semifinals.
Straight seeding stays
The four highest-ranked teams get the byes and the top four seeds, regardless of whether they won a conference. That carried over from last season and did not change.
The ACC schedule is in a transition season for 2026
Separate from the CFP, the ACC moves to nine conference games this season, and the transition is uneven. Miami is one of 12 schools playing nine conference games. Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Boston College play eight.
Dates to know
- Selection Day is Sunday, Dec. 6.
- First-round games are Friday, Dec. 18 and Saturday, Dec. 19 at campus sites.
- Quarterfinals are Wednesday, Dec. 30 and Friday, Jan. 1.
- Semifinals are Thursday, Jan. 14 and Friday, Jan. 15.
- The national championship is Monday, Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
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