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

The third College Football Playoff rankings came out Tuesday night, and there was quite a shakeup. Some notable results led to changes in the Top 25, and the projected 12-team bracket also shifted after the reveal.

The top spot stayed the same, though. Oregon stayed put as the No. 1 team in the country – and, after a conference review, clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship during the bye week. That means the Ducks will be in contention for the automatic berth in the CFP field, and they came in as the projected Big Ten champion after the third rankings release.

However, there was one major change from last week’s rankings release. BYU fell to Kansas for its first loss of the year, meaning the Cougars dropped from their No. 6 ranking. They still came in as the projected Big 12 champion, though, but the race for the No. 4 seed continues to get interesting down the stretch.

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

First-round byes

No. 1 seed – Oregon*

It wasn’t easy, but Oregon got a road victory over Wisconsin in its penultimate game of the regular season. The Ducks enter their Week 13 bye with a perfect 11-0 record ahead of the season finale against Washington and appear on track for a College Football Playoff berth.

Dan Lanning’s group clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship with last week’s win and will now await its opponent. Oregon also stayed put at No. 1, further increasing its chances of making the field.

No. 2 seed – Texas*

Arkansas had an upset on its mind last week, but Texas held strong and came away with the 20-10 victory. That kept the Longhorns in the mix for the SEC Championship and, as the league’s highest-ranked team – and, therefore, the No. 2 seed in the projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket.

Texas heads to Kentucky this week as the final tuneup before the season finale with Texas A&M, which could have major implications. The Longhorns and Aggies are tied atop the SEC standings, which adds to the intrigue around the road ahead.

No. 3 seed – Miami*

Miami was idle in Week 12, and the Hurricanes stood pat in the third College Football Playoff 12-team bracket after the third rankings reveal. Mario Cristobal’s group has two conference games to go, starting with Wake Forest this week.

Miami is looking to bounce back from its first loss of the year against Georgia Tech, but still has a path to the ACC Championship if the Hurricanes win both games to end the year. The ACC’s tiebreakers start with head-to-head record, and since Miami hasn’t played Clemson or SMU, common opponents would be the next step in the process.

No. 4 seed – Boise State*

Under the new College Football Playoff format, the four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Power Four leagues do, though – and as the fourth-highest ranked projected conference champion, Boise State would receive a bye in the 12-team bracket at this point.

The Broncos sit atop the Mountain West as one of two undefeated teams in league play, along with Colorado State, but clinched a spot in the league championship with last week’s win over San Jose State. One game remains in league action with this week’s game against Wyoming, and the path exists for Boise State to make the CFP.

First-round matchups (campus sites)

No. 12 seed BYU* at No. 5 seed Ohio State

For the first time this year, BYU suffered a loss after falling to Kansas last week. But the Cougars are still tied for first place in the Big 12 with a path to the league title game, although they came in as the fifth-highest ranked conference champion based on the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

Ohio State cruised past Northwestern at Wrigley Field last week, but still sits behind Oregon as the highest-ranked Big Ten team. An intriguing – and high-profile – matchup awaits against Indiana this week as the Buckeyes look to set up a rematch against the Ducks in the Big Ten Championship.

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

A break from conference play allowed Alabama to continue its momentum after the win over LSU. The Crimson Tide defeated Mercer and will now head into the last two conference games with a chance to seal a College Football Playoff appearance.

Notre Dame extended its winning streak to eight by taking care of business against Virginia. The Fighting Irish will now look to keep rising up the rankings to host a first-round game – but that road runs through the Shamrock Series against Army this week.

No. 10 seed Ole Miss at No. 7 seed Indiana

Ole Miss was idle last week after shaking up the College Football Playoff rankings with a win over Georgia in Week 11. The Rebels will now look to continue to make their case to stay in the CFP field, starting with this week’s matchup against Florida.

All eyes will be on Columbus this week as Indiana looks to make a statement against Ohio State. The Hoosiers’ strength of schedule has been a talking point, but a win over the Buckeyes – which would clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship – would go a long way toward their College Football Playoff hopes.

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

Georgia bounced back from its loss to Ole Miss with a victory over Tennessee in Athens last time out. The Bulldogs used a big second quarter to get the victory and stay squarely in the College Football Playoff picture.

Penn State didn’t leave any room for doubt against Purdue last week en route to a 40-10 victory. The Nittany Lions have back-to-back blowout wins after a loss to Ohio State, but will likely have to search for an at-large bid because of that game.

First four out

Tennessee
SMU
Texas A&M
Colorado

Next four out

Clemson
South Carolina
Army
Tulane