By: Capers Childs

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The College Football Playoff bracket is different for the 2026 season because there is no longer a guaranteed bid for a Group of Six conference champion.

Instead, the automatic bid goes to the highest-ranked team from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt, regardless of whether that team wins its conference championship.

With this change, the race for the Group of Six’s spot in the College Football Playoff becomes even more competitive.

With that being said, I think James Madison, Troy, Memphis and the University of South Florida have the best chance of earning that spot.

Starting with James Madison, the Dukes have gotten off to a strong start in 2026. The recent win over San Diego State is especially important because it came on the road against an FBS opponent.

JMU also forced two turnovers in the game and finished with 417 yards of total offense.

The Dukes also have several important games remaining, including games against Marshall, App State and Troy. If JMU can continue winning, especially against its stronger Sun Belt opponents, it could be a contender near the top of the Group of Six rankings.

Troy is another team that could enter the playoff conversation. The Trojans are also off to a good start. Troy’s only loss came against No. 20 Missouri, 27-17.

The Trojans actually started the game strong, scoring the first 10 points and holding Missouri scoreless in the first quarter. Although the loss keeps Troy from having a perfect record, playing a ranked SEC opponent provides them with a quality opportunity to strengthen its résumé. The Trojans also have important Sun Belt games remaining, including a game against JMU on October 29.

Memphis is another contender because of the strength of its nonconference schedule. The Tigers only have one loss and that was to Boise State.

The game against Boise State was particularly important because both teams entered the season as teams expected to compete for the Group of Six playoff spot.

Memphis still has several meaningful American Athletic Conference games remaining, including games against Tulane, Army and South Florida.

If Memphis can finish the season with a strong conference record, those games could play a major role in determining where the Tigers are ranked at the end of the season.

Finally, South Florida has also put itself in position to compete for the playoff spot. The Bulls are undefeated. One of USF’s victories came over Army and that was big because Army entered that game undefeated, making it a meaningful conference victory for South Florida.

The Bulls also have several important games ahead, including UTSA, East Carolina, Memphis and Tulane.

The November 12 matchup against Memphis could be a good contest because both teams are competing for position within the American and potentially for the Group of Six automatic bid.

Overall, James Madison, Troy, Memphis and South Florida all have paths to the College Football Playoff.

The new format makes the race more complicated because winning a conference championship alone does not guarantee a playoff spot for these teams.

Instead, they need to build the strongest overall résumé possible. As the season continues, wins against quality opponents, avoiding losses and performing well against other Group of Six contenders will be important.

The team that finishes highest in the final rankings among these conferences will earn the automatic playoff bid, and that makes every remaining game important.