Gonzaga Lands Favorable Draw in CBS Sports Way Too Early Bracketology Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Gonzaga fans got an early taste of what March could look like with CBS Sports’ preseason Bracketology for the 2025–26 college basketball season. The Bulldogs are projected as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, a respectable placement that sets them up for a potential deep run. This is a seed that would have been greatly welcomed by Gonzaga this past March, as they were woefully underseeded as an 8-seed in the 2024-2025 NCAA Tournament. While the season is still months away, this early forecast signals national confidence in Gonzaga’s returning talent and consistent program under Mark Few.
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What makes this projection even more compelling is who sits atop the Midwest bracket: Houston. The Cougars are slotted as the region’s No. 1 seed, which means that if the bracket holds, Gonzaga could be staring down a rematch with the team that ended their 2025 NCAA Tournament run and their streak of Sweet 16 appearances. As a 6-seed, the Zags wouldn’t see the top-seeded Cougars until the theoretical Elite 8. That loss still stings for many in Spokane, and a shot at redemption would give this season an early storyline worth following closely.
The three other teams that round out the list of projected No. 6 seeds are San Diego State, which will be in the new Pac-12 with Gonzaga starting in 2026, Michigan State, and Creighton. Not bad company. It’s a strong grouping of programs and one that shows just what kind of esteem Gonzaga is being held in heading into the year.
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As for the other top seeds, the complete list of projected No. 1s includes Florida in the East, Purdue in the South, and St. John’s in the West alongside Houston in the Midwest. These programs are expected to dominate the regular season, but as always, seeding is only part of the story once the madness begins.
For Gonzaga, being projected as a 6-seed gives fans a sense of both stability and urgency. The path back to the second weekend, and possibly beyond, will be there if Gonzaga does go on to earn this seed. Whether it ends with a revenge game against Houston or another deep tournament run, the journey is shaping up to be one to watch.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
