Way-Too-Early College Football Playoff Projection For 2026

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford unveiled his Way-too-early College Football Playoff projection for the 2026 season and expects LSU to make the playoff as a No. 9 seed.

In his projection, the Tigers would travel to No. 8 Ohio State for their first-round matchup on Dec. 18. The winner would then face No. 1 Miami in the quarterfinals.

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9. LSU
Lane Kiffin wanted this. No coach in the SEC faces more immediate pressure at his new job in 2026. For the second straight offseason, the program's biggest donors went all-in to fund a massive transfer portal haul that includes the top quarterback, offensive tackle and edge rusher. Anything short of a playoff appearance will be a failure no matter how you slice it, especially after Kiffin did more with less at Ole Miss. Speaking of the Rebels, unless quarterback Trinidad Chambliss wins his appeal, they're going to suffer some regression.

Projected College Football Playoff field breakdown:
1. Miami
2. Notre Dame
3. Texas
4. Indiana
5. Texas Tech
6. Georgia
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. LSU
10. Texas A&M
11. Memphis
12. Michigan

First-Round Matchups:

(9) LSU at (8) Ohio State
Columbus, OH

(10) Texas A&M at (7) Oregon
Eugene, OR

(11) Memphis at (6) Georgia
Athens, GA

(12) Michigan at (5) Texas Tech
Lubbock, TX

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