Athlon Sports has LSU in the mix for the 2026 College Football Playoff, slotting the Tigers in as the No. 10 seed in its preseason 12-team projection.
The forecast gives the SEC four teams in the field: Georgia as the projected SEC champion at No. 2, plus Texas at No. 3, Texas A&M at No. 9 and LSU at No.
- That puts LSU inside a projected bracket that also includes Ohio State at No. 1 as the projected Big Ten champion, Notre Dame at No.
4, Indiana at No. 5, Oregon at No.
6, Miami at No. 7 as the projected ACC champion, Oklahoma at No. 8, Texas Tech at No. 11 as the projected Big 12 champion and Boise State at No. 12 as the projected highest-ranked G6 team.
Athlon’s full projected field for 2026-27 is:
- Ohio State (Projected Big Ten Champion)
- Georgia (Projected SEC Champion)
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- Oregon
- Miami (Projected ACC Champion)
- Oklahoma
- Texas A&M
- LSU
- Texas Tech (Projected Big 12 Champion)
- Boise State (Projected highest-ranked G6 Team)
Beyond that top 12, Athlon listed a second group of playoff contenders: Ole Miss, Michigan, USC, Alabama, BYU, Washington, Penn State, Houston, Utah, Tennessee, SMU, Louisville, Iowa, Florida and Clemson.
The publication also named its next tier of Group of 6 playoff contenders, projected as conference champions: Navy, Western Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), UNLV and James Madison.
Other G6 teams to watch, according to Athlon, are Memphis, UTSA, Army, Tulane, Liberty, Kennesaw State, Western Michigan, New Mexico, Hawaii, North Dakota State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Troy.
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LSU's Title Hopes May Come Down To One SEC Reality
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