College Football Playoff: How 12-team bracket looks after fourth Top 25 rankings revealed

Rivalry Week is here, and the College Football Playoff rankings saw a big shakeup after an upset-filled Week 13. That meant the 12-team CFP bracket shifted, as well, after the fourth rankings reveal.

The top seeds stayed the same from last week. Oregon remained at the top as the only undefeated team left out of the bye week and, therefore, the projected Big Ten champion. Texas stayed put at No. 2, followed by No. 3 Miami and No. 4 Boise State.

Things got interesting with the final projected conference champion, though. The Big 12 saw some big-time upsets in Week 13, notably as Arizona State held on to hand BYU its second straight loss. As a result, there’s now a logjam atop the conference standings.

Using the fourth College Football Playoff rankings, the highest-ranked team in each league will be its projected conference champion. In the new bracket, first-round games will be at campus sites, and the four highest-seeded teams will receive byes. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be at bowl sites, and this year’s national championship will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

The College Football Playoff bracket is sure to keep changing through November in the lead-up to the final rankings reveal on Dec. 8. Here’s where things stand after the fourth Top 25 announcement of the season. (Projected conference champions noted with asterisks.)

First-round byes

No. 1 seed – Oregon*

The last remaining unbeaten, Oregon stayed atop the College Football Playoff rankings and, as a result, held on to the No. 1 seed in the projected 12-team bracket. The Ducks have been impressive in their first Big Ten season and are heading to Indianapolis next week for the conference championship.

As Dillon Gabriel leads the high-powered offense, Oregon’s defense is also one of the best in the nation. Entering Week 14, the Ducks rank No. 7 in the nation with 287.4 yards allowed per game and No. 8 with 15.7 points allowed on average.

No. 2 seed – Texas*

In a week filled with upsets in the SEC, Texas maintained its spot in both the standings and the College Football Playoff rankings. The Longhorns remain the projected conference champion, but can officially seal a berth in the title game with a win over rival Texas A&M on Saturday.

All eyes are on the health of Quinn Ewers, though. He suffered an ankle sprain against Kentucky, and even though he’s reportedly expecting to be ready to play, it will be a major storyline ahead of Saturday’s showdown.

No. 3 seed – Miami*

A resounding win over Wake Forest meant Miami stayed put as the highest-ranked ACC team and, therefore, the projected conference champion. The Hurricanes still need to clinch their spot in the game, though, and can do so with a victory over Syracuse this week.

Miami used a balanced attack against Wake Forest, led by 280 yards and two touchdowns from Cam Ward. He continues to run the offense at a high level and will have the opportunity to seal an ACC title game berth this week.

No. 4 seed – Boise State*

Amid a 10-1 season and heading to the Mountain West Championship, Boise State remained the highest-ranked projected Group of 5 conference champion. But because they came in ahead of the projected Big 12 champion, the Broncos received a bye in this week’s 12-team bracket.

Boise State remains red-hot since a loss to Oregon, which came in the final seconds. Ashton Jeanty is also continuing his quest for an invitation to the Heisman Trophy ceremony after surpassing the 2,000-yard mark last week against Wyoming.

First-round matchups (campus sites)

No. 12 seed Arizona State at No. 5 seed Ohio State

The fifth-highest ranked projected conference champion, Arizona State now finds itself in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket after an upset for the ages last time out. The Sun Devils defeated BYU after the Cougars’ Hail Mary fell short of the end zone, sending the Big 12 race into overdrive with four teams tied atop the standings heading into Week 14.

Ohio State cruised last week in a test against No. 5 Indiana, getting the resounding 38-15 win to keep its Big Ten Championship hopes alive. The Buckeyes still sit behind Oregon in the College Football Playoff rankings entering The Game against Michigan in Week 14.

No. 9 seed Tennessee at No. 8 seed Georgia

Tennessee took a break from SEC play and came away with the resounding 56-0 win over UTEP. The Vols will now take on in-state rival Vanderbilt to close out the regular season, and they’re hovering around the bubble for the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket.

Georgia responded well after a slow start against UMass, eventually cruising to the 59-21 victory. The chaos in the rest of the SEC meant the Bulldogs are heading to the conference championship, and they’ll await their opponent during the Texas at Texas A&M game on Saturday night.

No. 10 seed SMU at No. 7 seed Notre Dame

It’s been a banner first season in the ACC for Rhett Lashlee and SMU. The Mustangs are heading to the conference championship after a 33-7 win over Virginia last time out, and that put them in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket heading into the season finale against Cal.

Notre Dame once again dominated a ranked opponent, cruising past Army in last week’s Shamrock Series matchup at Yankee Stadium. The Fighting Irish have won nine straight games since a surprising loss to Northern Illinois, building plenty of momentum into the rivalry matchup against USC in the season finale.

No. 11 seed Indiana at No. 6 seed Penn State

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary from last week’s chaos in the SEC, Indiana is still in the 12-team College Football Playoff picture despite a blowout loss to Ohio State in Columbus. It was the Hoosiers’ first loss of the season entering the season finale against Purdue, and a win would keep them in the mix for the final bracket.

It wasn’t easy, but Penn State fought off upset-minded Minnesota last week to stay in the mix for the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket. Although the Nittany Lions dropped, they’re still a contender to appear in the bracket and have a shot at making the Big Ten Championship, as well.

First four out

Clemson
Alabama
Ole Miss
South Carolina

Next four out

Tulane
Iowa State
BYU
Texas A&M