College Football Playoff: How 12-team bracket looks after penultimate Top 25 rankings revealed
After 14 weeks, the regular season is in the books. That means conference championships take place this week, and the penultimate College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings reveal showed where things stand before the final announcement on Sunday.
The projected bracket saw some shakeups after multiple upsets in Week 14. The biggest was in Columbus where Ohio State fell to Michigan in their annual rivalry game, knocking the Buckeyes out of the No. 5 seed for the first time. Miami also dropped after its loss to Syracuse, which also took the Hurricanes out of contention for the ACC Championship.
Atop the bracket, the No. 1 seed remained the same. Oregon held the top spot ahead of the program’s first-ever Big Ten Championship appearance. The Ducks will take on Penn State with the No. 1 seed on the line as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions. Texas is also looking to be in that discussion after locking up its SEC Championship matchup against Georgia.
Using the penultimate 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.
This marks the final projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket of the year, with the final rankings reveal coming up on Dec. 8. Here’s where things stand after the penultimate Top 25 announcement of the season. (Projected conference champions noted with asterisks.)
First-round byes
No. 1 seed – Oregon*
This week, Oregon will head to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Big Ten Championship. It’s been an impressive first season in the conference for the Ducks, who will take on Penn State in the title game.
Oregon ended the regular season with one more resounding win, defeating Washington to end the regular season as the last undefeated team in FBS. The Ducks now get ready to make their way to Indianapolis on Saturday to take on Penn State, hoping to officially secure the No. 1 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket.
No. 2 seed – Texas*
A victory over Texas A&M in the Lone Star Showdown sent Texas to its first-ever SEC Championship. The Longhorns will now get ready for a high-stakes rematch against Georgia with a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff on the line.
Last week, Texas got a big performance from its defense in the victory over Texas A&M – the first time the two teams played since 2011. The Aggies’ only points came on a Quinn Ewers turnover as the Longhorns held on for the victory and a trip to Atlanta.
No. 3 seed – SMU*
For the first time this year, SMU is the highest-ranked ACC team – and, therefore, the projected conference champion. The Mustangs are heading to the league championship in their first season after leaving the American Athletic Conference and will look to be one of the four highest-ranked conference champions.
SMU closed out the regular season with a resounding 38-6 win over Cal to finish ACC play undefeated. Now, the Mustangs will get ready to face Clemson in Charlotte looking to officially clinch a College Football Playoff bid.
No. 4 seed – Boise State*
The highest-ranked Group of 5 team, Boise State is looking to officially clinch a College Football Playoff appearance in Friday’s Mountain West Championship. The Broncos will take on UNLV as both teams look to become one of the five highest-ranked conference champions to clinch spots in the bracket.
Ashton Jeanty continued to lead the charge for Boise State last week, rushing for 226 yards and a touchdown to lead BSU to the victory over Oregon State. The next step will be the MWC Championship Friday night, which is sure to get plenty of attention for the matchup’s CFP implications.
First-round matchups (campus sites)
No. 12 seed Arizona State* at No. 5 seed Penn State
The fifth highest-ranked projected conference champion, Arizona State is heading to its first Big 12 Championship after the league picture finally came into focus last week. The Sun Devils blew out in-state rival Arizona last time out and will take on Iowa State in the title game, hoping to punch their ticket to the 12-team bracket.
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For the first time since 2016, Penn State is heading to the Big Ten Championship. The Nittany Lions clinched their appearance with Ohio State’s loss to Michigan and their victory over Maryland, setting up the matchup against Oregon on Saturday in Indianapolis.
No. 9 seed Tennessee at No. 8 seed Ohio State
A Rivalry Week victory over Vanderbilt helped Tennessee reach the 10-win threshold and keep the Vols right in the thick of the College Football Playoff race. Although they’re not heading to Atlanta for the SEC title game, they’re looking at a potential first-round game based on the penultimate rankings reveal.
Last week’s loss to Michigan was quite a shock for Ohio State, which missed out on the Big Ten Championship as a result. The Buckeyes are still afloat in the College Football Playoff race, but is still in line to host a game in this week’s projected bracket
No. 10 seed Indiana at No. 7 seed Georgia
Questions swirled about Indiana’s strength of schedule after the loss to Ohio State, but a 66-0 win over Purdue showed how dominant the Hoosiers can be. While they’re not going to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Big Ten Championship, they’re hanging around the College Football Playoff conversation after the penultimate rankings reveal.
It took eight overtimes, but Georgia got an important victory over Georgia Tech to chart an easier path toward the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs can officially lock up a spot by winning Saturday’s SEC Championship, but a loss might not spell the end of their hopes after a 10-2 regular season.
No. 11 seed Alabama at No. 6 seed Notre Dame
Squarely on the College Football Playoff bubble, Alabama will be watching Championship Weekend closely after winning the Iron Bowl a week ago. The Crimson Tide once again lead the pack of three-loss SEC teams in this week’s rankings, and they’ll need to see how this week goes to see if they make the field.
A 10-game winning streak has Notre Dame in strong position to host a first-round College Football Playoff game. The Fighting Irish got a rivalry victory over USC last time out to complete the 11-1 season and will now await Sunday’s final rankings to see if the first round will officially come to South Bend.
First four out
Miami
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Iowa State