About
Rooting Interests answers one question for fans: what does my team need to happen to get where it wants to go?
College football
FBS Conference Championship Paths covers all ten FBS conferences. For each one it lists every championship-game matchup that can still happen, and for each matchup one complete set of remaining conference results that produces it. Results a path can't do without are marked, and each tab shows the current conference standings.
Ties in the standings are broken with each conference's published 2026 tiebreaker procedure. When a matchup depends on a ranking or computer-metric step that can't be known until the end of the season, it's labeled that way instead of guessed. A few long-shot matchups that can't be ruled out by win totals, but for which no path through the tiebreakers was found, are noted and not shown.
NFL
NFL Playoff Paths shows the seeds if the season ended today, using the NFL's full tie-breaking procedures. For every team it lists each final record it can still reach and what that record gets it for the division title, a playoff spot and the No. 1 seed: locked in, in unless tied, possible, only possible through a tiebreaker, or out.
Those answers account for every possible result of every remaining game; they're proven, not sampled. Future tie games aren't modeled. The weekly rooting guide is a rule of thumb (root against division rivals first, then other conference teams), not a projection.
How it's checked
- Schedules and results come from a live scores feed. Every game is confirmed from both teams' schedules, and records are matched to the standings feed.
- Before launch, every completed game was also matched against a second, independent scoreboard.
- Every published path and every NFL answer is re-checked against the tiebreaker rules before it goes live; an update that fails a check isn't published.
- No odds or percentages are shown. Everything on the site is about what can and can't still happen.
When it updates
College football: after each window of games, from weeknight games through late Saturday night. NFL: after Thursday night, after the Sunday afternoon, late-afternoon and night games, after Monday night, and late in the season after Saturday games. Each page shows when it was last updated (Central time).
It's free to use. The site is supported by advertising.
Fine print
Rooting Interests is an independent site and isn't affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any league, conference, team or governing body. Leagues and conferences have the final word on standings and tiebreakers.
Questions or corrections: contact us.