2026 CFP Eliminator · Snapshot Oct 20 · Not live

Northwestern’s road to the CFP

A FEW HURDLES · Difficulty #15 of 44

Northwestern modeled CFP path share card

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What Northwestern needs

Needs 4 more regular-season wins. Current record 5–1; estimated minimum 9 wins.

10-24Win vs. Rutgers
10-31Win at Oregon
11-07Win vs. Iowa
11-14Loss at Ohio State
11-21Win at Minnesota
11-28Win vs. Illinois

And some help elsewhere

15 modeled favorite reversals in games not involving Northwestern.

10-24Auburn over LSU
10-31Wisconsin over Iowa
11-07BYU over Utah
11-07Georgia over Ole Miss
11-07Missouri over Texas
11-14Mississippi State over Auburn
11-14Oklahoma over Ole Miss
11-14Oregon State over Boise State
11-14Arizona over Utah
11-21Kansas State over Arizona

And 5 more favorite reversals in the complete scenario.

The path is the most likely single complete set of remaining results that satisfies our editorial minimum-win and 12-seat scenario constraints. Its difficulty ranking is relative to the other 43 teams under this same model, not an estimate of actual CFP selection probability. Automatic bids, Notre Dame's top-12 exception, and the selection committee are not fully modeled. October 20, 2026 data snapshot.