College Football Playoff Predictions: ESPN projects 12-team field after Week 5

ESPN projected the 12-team College Football Playoff field after Week 3 and there were some changes from last weekend.

But as always, these playoff projections will certainly change week to week. Just wait til we get the inevitable upsets!

The biggest change of the weekend was Alabama becoming the No. 1 team and moving Texas and Georgia way down the list!

The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive byes, and the first-round games will all take place at campus sites to begin the playoff. From there, the winners will advance to respective bowl games leading to the national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

1. Alabama

Alabama is the new No. 1 team in the country thanks to an instant classic against Georgia. The 41-34 win almost didn’t happen since the Crimson Tide blew a 28-0 lead.

But with the win, Alabama vaulted to No. 1 in the AP Poll and ESPN predicted this team to be at the top of the playoff. In that case, Alabama beats out Texas or Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

2. Ohio State

The Buckeyes haven’t shifted from this spot in a bit. The projected Big Ten champion is likely to get the second seed in this year’s playoff.

Either way, the Buckeyes would get a bye, or a different Big Ten champion of course. Ohio State opened up conference play with a dominating win over Michigan State.

3. Miami

Miami stayed here for now as the ACC’s top team. In that case, the Hurricanes get a first round bye in the playoff following a near loss to Virginia Tech.

But almost only counts in horseshoes, so Miami remained undefeated. Clemson, who we’ll get into later, is back on the rise and the ACC is suddenly interesting again. For now, Mario Cristobal and crew are one of the better teams in the country.

4. Kansas State

Stop if you’ve heard this before: the Big 12 is full of chaos. Okay, you didn’t stop us, so we’re here to mention Kansas State is the Big 12 champion in ESPN’s latest playoff projections.

This is after a 42-20 win over Oklahoma State to put them back on the map. Utah was upset by Arizona and no one really knows what’s going to happen now. What if Colorado beats the Wildcats in two weeks?

No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Texas

Texas dropped into the first round with Alabama’s win over the weekend but the Longhorns could very well win the SEC and get the No. 1 spot. Hosting Boise State could be a fun game though.

Texas would be a heavy favorite to advance in the playoff of course. But the Broncos have Ashton Jeanty, a Heisman contender, at running back. Good luck containing him!

No. 9 Oregon at No. 8 Penn State

These two Big Ten opponents (still getting used to that) do not play each other this regular season. But with the way the rankings shake out, they will here.

But it’ll be in Happy Valley, a distinct advantage for the Nittany Lions. Can Oregon win this matchup? Of course. But the winner heads to Tuscaloosa for the playoff quarterfinals. Yikes.

No. 11 Michigan at No. 6 Tennessee

Tennessee didn’t move from its No. 6 seed projection in the playoff, but they’ll host a different team, as of now. Michigan is back in the thick of things!

The Wolverines nearly blew it against Minnesota but hung on for the win and improved to 4-1. Don’t forget, they have a win over USC and the schedule sets up nicely to make more noise. The biggest games circled though, are hosting Oregon and traveling to Ohio State. Win one of those and go 10-2, perhaps Michigan is back in after all.

No. 10 Clemson at No. 7 Georgia

A rematch? In this economy? Georgia fell down after a loss to Alabama so right now, the Bulldogs are below them and Texas in the playoff projections.

But Clemson is back! After getting boat raced by the Bulldogs in the opener, the Tigers have won three games in a row. At this rate, Clemson could contend for the ACC and a wild card spot. What a turn around.

The full playoff rankings and projections from ESPN can be seen HERE.