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Methodology

TCU playoff odds

TCU makes the College Football Playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated 2026 seasons. Loading the week 11 guide…

TCU playoff odds and who to root for

Updated November 8, after week 9.

TCU is 4-5 (2-4 in the Big 12) through week 9 of the 2026 season. It makes the College Football Playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated seasons (ESPN's FPI: <0.1%), wins the Big 12 in <0.1% and wins the national title in <0.01%, with 5.2 projected wins.

That is the 121st-best playoff chance among the 138 FBS teams.

Who TCU fans should root for in week 11

No other game this week has a significant effect on TCU's playoff odds.

What TCU needs

Even at 7-5, TCU makes the playoff in <0.1% of seasons. It reaches six wins and a bowl in 35.0% of seasons.

WeekOpponentWin probabilityPlayoff odds after a winAfter a loss
Week 11vs Kansas State70.6%<0.1%<0.1%
Week 12vs Utah30.2%<0.1%<0.1%
Week 13at Texas Tech22.5%<0.1%<0.1%

TCU's playoff odds by final record

Regular seasonChance of that recordPlayoff odds
7-56.2%<0.1%
6-628.7%<0.1%
5-747.1%<0.1%
4-818.0%<0.1%

TCU's results

week 1, lost to North Carolina 10-15; week 2, beat Grambling 63-7; week 3, beat Arkansas State 31-7; week 4, lost to UCF 13-21; week 5, lost to BYU 10-17; week 7, beat Baylor 17-6; week 8, lost to West Virginia 20-24; week 9, beat Kansas 22-16; week 10, lost to Arizona 28-29.

The Big 12 race

TeamWins the Big 12Makes the playoff
Utah49.3%90.7%
Texas Tech22.0%41.4%
BYU8.3%27.4%
Houston8.3%29.8%
Arizona5.0%13.4%
Oklahoma State4.4%4.4%
Baylor2.8%2.8%
West Virginia<0.1%<0.1%
UCF<0.1%<0.1%
Arizona State<0.1%<0.1%

The Big 12 title race: every team, the likeliest title games and how ties are broken.

Questions

Will TCU make the College Football Playoff?
TCU is 4-5 and makes the playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated seasons, with 5.2 projected wins. It wins the Big 12 in <0.1% and the national title in <0.01%.
What does TCU need to make the playoff?
Even at 7-5, TCU makes the playoff in <0.1% of seasons. It reaches six wins and a bowl in 35.0% of seasons.
Who should TCU fans root for in week 11?
No other game this week has a significant effect on TCU's playoff odds.
What is TCU's toughest game left?
At Texas Tech in week 13, with a 22.5% chance to win.
How are TCU's playoff odds calculated?
The rest of the season is simulated 2.5 million times. Each simulated season is rated, ranked by a model of the selection committee and played through the bracket. A game's impact is the difference in TCU's playoff odds between the simulations each team wins it.

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