CBS Sports projects 12-team College Football Playoff field ahead of Week 9

With so much parity this year, the 12-team College Football Playoff would certainly be interesting. In fact, things are changing so quickly that CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm shook up his projections in a big way ahead of Week 9.

Georgia is no longer the projected No. 1 overall seed, according to CBS Sports. Instead, it’s Michigan, which has been the No. 2 team to start the year. Florida State and Washington round out the top four seeds, meaning UGA fell out of the teams worthy of a bye under the new format.

The first College Football Playoff rankings come out in less than a week, but the 12-team projection provides an interesting look at what the new format would look like if it was here a year earlier.

No. 1 Michigan | Bye

Michigan has been one of the best teams in the country this year, and as the calendar prepares to flip to November, the Wolverines are gaining traction in some rankings. That comes on the heels of last week’s resounding 49-0 win over rival Michigan State, which came with a backdrop of sign-stealing allegations against the program.

Michigan leads the Big Ten in scoring and has the new Heisman Trophy favorite in J.J. McCarthy. The Wolverines’ path to this year’s College Football Playoff gets tougher over the next month, but they’d have a much easier route under the 12-team model next year.

No. 2 Florida State | Bye

Duke didn’t make things easy on Florida State last week, taking a lead into the third quarter. But the Seminoles capitalized once Riley Leonard departed after trying to play through his ankle injury, staying atop the ACC and in the thick of the CFP conversation.

Jordan Travis continues to look strong leading FSU’s high-powered offense, and he’s a big reason the Seminoles have their sights set on a run. An interesting matchup awaits this week when Florida State takes on Wake Forest.

No. 3 Washington | Bye

Washington is now in CBS Sports’ top four teams even despite some struggles last week against Arizona State. The Huskies, fresh off a resounding victory over Oregon, had to fight for a 15-7 victory over the Sun Devils thanks to a late pick-six.

Michael Penix Jr. saw his Heisman odds dip a bit after the game, but he still remains one of the favorites to win the award. Now alone atop the Pac-12 as the only undefeated team, Washington looks on track for a conference title game appearance in the division-less league.

No. 4 Oklahoma | Bye

Another newcomer in the top four, Oklahoma survived a big test last week against a pesky UCF team. It came down to a late two-point conversion, but the Sooners kept the Knights out of the end zone to grind out a 31-29 victory.

Dillon Gabriel continues to thrive in Jeff Lebby’s offense, completing 25 of 38 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns to lead the effort. Another interesting matchup is looming in Week 9 when Oklahoma heads to Kansas on Saturday.

No. 12 Air Force at No. 5 Ohio State | Winner plays Oklahoma

In CBS Sports’ projection, Air Force would be the sixth highest-ranked conference champion under the 12-team College Football Playoff format. The Falcons have emerged as one of the top G5 teams this year and checked in at No. 19 in the latest AP Top 25.

In this projection, Air Force would take on a battle-tested Ohio State team that just came away with a big division victory over Penn State last week in Columbus. Led by Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes’ offense did just enough to get another marquee victory as part of the stretch run.

No. 11 Penn State at No. 6 Georgia | Winner plays Washington

While Georgia is the SEC champion in this projection, the Bulldogs still come in as the No. 6 seed. The Bulldogs are perfect on the year, but face some question marks coming out of the bye after losing Brock Bowers to injury.

It would be an intriguing matchup, too, because Georgia would take on a Penn State team that’s coming off a tough loss to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have plenty of NFL Draft prospects on both sides of the ball, but the performance last week raised some question marks after the offense sputtered.

No. 10 Oregon at No. 7 Texas | Winner plays Florida State

Oregon rebounded well from the loss to Washington by defeating Washington State 38-20 last week. It’s safe to say Dan Lanning and the Ducks aren’t going away quietly in the crowded Pac-12 race, and they could make things really interesting over the next few weeks.

CBS Sports’ projection would put Oregon against Texas, which has one of the Big 12’s best defenses. This matchup would certainly draw some eyes, especially given the high stakes of the postseason.

No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 8 Alabama | Winner plays Michigan

Ole Miss vs. Alabama on the big stage would be one of the most intriguing games of the CFP. As if the stakes aren’t high enough when Lane Kiffin takes on Nick Saban, they’d increase dramatically in the first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Alabama sits atop the SEC West after pulling off a victory over Tennessee in last week’s Third Saturday in October matchup. The Crimson Tide already have a win over Ole Miss this year, but the Rebels are still getting some respect in the rankings.

While this is the last year of the four-team College Football Playoff, it’s safe to say it’d be a great year for the 12-team model with no clear-cut favorite to win the national championship. The first CFP rankings of the year are set to come out on Halloween night on ESPN.