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

Week 11 was the first after the College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings came out. A wild slate of games led to a shakeup, and the 12-team bracket also saw a major shift as a result.

Two of the top four teams in the initial rankings lost last week. No. 3 Georgia fell to Ole Miss in Oxford and No. 4 Miami lost to Georgia Tech in Atlanta. They both came in as projected conference champions in the first 12-team bracket, but only one stayed there as Week 12 approaches.

Another top-four seed nearly lost in Week 11 as Saturday turned into Sunday. BYU played its annual rivalry game against Utah, but put together a final drive for the ages to stay undefeated and squarely in the mix for a Big 12 championship, as well as a first-round bye.

Using the second 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 second Top 25 announcement of the season. (Projected conference champions noted with asterisks.)

First-round byes

No. 1 seed – Oregon*

Another double-digit victory in Big Ten play kept Oregon not only atop the College Football Playoff rankings, but also as the No. 1 seed in the 12-team bracket. The Ducks cruised to a 39-18 win over Maryland last week to improve to 10-0 on the season.

Dillon Gabriel remains impressive as he leads the offense, throwing for three touchdowns as he looks to stay in the Heisman Trophy discussion. Oregon will now get ready for a primetime matchup against Wisconsin in its penultimate game of the season.

No. 2 seed – Texas*

Georgia’s loss to Ole Miss allowed Texas to slot in as the No. 2 seed and projected SEC champion despite losing the head-to-head battle with the Bulldogs. The Longhorns didn’t leave any room for doubt last week against Florida, flying past the Gators 49-17 behind a huge day from Quinn Ewers.

Fueled by a first half for the ages, Ewers threw for 333 yards and set a new career high with five touchdowns as Texas came out of the bye. The Longhorns are still very much in the mix in the SEC, and as the highest-ranked team in the league, came in as the projected champion and No. 2 seed in the CFP bracket.

No. 3 seed – BYU*

It looked like BYU was on its way to its first loss of the year in the “Holy War” rivalry against Utah. The Cougars were down to their final drive, but a controversial penalty kept it going and eventually allowed Will Ferrin to drill the game-winning field goal.

Because of the shakeup in the rankings, BYU moved up to the No. 3 seed in the projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket. The Cougars remain the only undefeated team in the Big 12 with three games remaining, and they have a conference title game berth in their sights.

No. 4 seed – Miami*

After coming in as the No. 4 team in the first rankings a week ago, Miami stumbled for the first time this season. The Hurricanes fell to Georgia Tech 28-23 for their first loss of the season, dropping them to the No. 4 seed in the projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket.

Miami is now tied with Clemson for second place in the ACC behind SMU, but as the higher-ranked team in the league, the ‘Canes are the projected conference champion in the second CFP bracket. Two games remain on the schedule as Cam Ward and Co. look to stay in the mix for the league title.

First-round matchups (campus sites)

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

The highest-ranked Group of 5 team once again, Boise State continues to carve out a path to the College Football Playoff after last week’s win over Nevada. Ashton Jeanty put together his fourth 200-rushing yard game of the year, totaling 209 yards and three touchdowns to lead the charge.

Coming off a big win over Penn State, Ohio State didn’t miss a beat as Purdue came to Columbus. The Buckeyes didn’t leave any room for doubt en route to a resounding 45-0 victory over the Boilermakers, but OSU still finds itself as an at-large team because Oregon is the higher-ranked Big Ten team.

No. 9 seed Notre Dame at No. 8 seed Tennessee

Out of its final bye week, Notre Dame put together a dominant performance against Florida State en route to a 52-3 victory in South Bend. That made it seven wins in a row for the Fighting Irish, who continue to rise up the rankings and salvage their College Football Playoff hopes after the early loss to Northern Illinois.

Tennessee is coming off a resounding win over Mississippi State this week and came in as the No. 8 seed in the field. The Vols are facing a big question, though, with Nico Iamaleava’s status for a crucial Week 12 matchup against Georgia.

No. 10 seed Alabama at No. 7 seed Indiana

Last week’s game against LSU was effectively an “elimination game,” and Alabama got the crucial victory to stay in contention for the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide – led by an impressive night from Jalen Milroe – now have a path to the 12-team field with three games to go, starting with a non-conference matchup with Mercer this week.

For the first time in program history, Indiana is 10-0 and right in the middle of the College Football Playoff picture. The Hoosiers grinded out a win over Michigan at Memorial Stadium in Week 11 as they head into the bye before a critical matchup against Ohio State, which will play a key role in determining their CFP fate.

No. 11 seed Ole Miss at No. 6 seed Penn State

Ole Miss was just outside the College Football Playoff bracket a week ago, but a victory over Georgia propelled the Rebels into the projected first round. They rose to No. 11 this week as they head into the bye before the final two games of the year.

A White Out game made for quite the atmosphere as Penn State returned home for a primetime matchup against Washington. The Nittany Lions bounced back well after a Week 10 loss, getting the 35-6 win to stay in the mix for the College Football Playoff.

First four out

Georgia
SMU
Texas A&M
Kansas State

Next four out

Colorado
Washington State
Louisville
Clemson