Latest projected bracket for 12-team playoff

On By Littum

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The College Football Playoff is so close you can almost smell the overreactions from the football kitchen. Tuesday was another aperitif to get us started until the final selection committee is drawn.

This week’s CFP rankings answered a lot of questions that this past week’s games brought up. Especially what would happen to competitors like Alabama, Miss Oleand Indiana after each of them lost. It turns out that only Indiana remains in the projected bracket this week.

Elsewhere, the Big 12’s projected champion continues to slide down the rankings with No. 16 Arizona State now expected to claim the 12th and final spot in the College Football Playoff.

Keep it here for all the latest and how to view the latest CFP release.

CFP Predictions: Week 13 upsets shake up the College Football Playoff rankings

* – expected first-round bye

  • No. 1 Oregon (11-0)*
  • Ohio State no. 2 (10-1)
  • no. 3 Texas (10-1)*
  • No. 4 Penn State (10-1)
  • No. 5 Notre Dame (10-1)
  • no. 6 Miami (10-1)*
  • No. 7 Georgia (9-2)
  • No. 8 Tennessee (9-2)
  • No. 9 SMU (10-1)
  • No. 10 Indiana (10-1)
  • No. 11 Boise State (10-1)*
  • No. 12 Clemson (9-2)
  • No. 13 Alabama (8-3)
  • no. 14 Miss Ole (8-3)
  • No. 15 South Carolina (8-3)
  • No. 16 Arizona State (9-2) – would earn 12th and final CFP berth as projected Big 12 champion
  • No. 17 Tulane (9-2)
  • No. 18 Iowa State (9-2)
  • No. 19 BYU (9-2)
  • No. 20 Texas A&M (8-3)
  • No. 21 Missouri (8-3)
  • No. 22 UNLV (9-2)
  • No. 23 Illinois (8-3)
  • No. 24 Kansas State (8-3)
  • No. 25 Colorado (8-3)

Based on latest CFP ratings and projections.

First round:

  • Arizona State no. 16 at Ohio State no. 2
  • No. 8 Tennessee at No. 7 Georgia
  • No. 10 Indiana at no. 4 Penn State
  • no. 9 SMU at no. 5 Notre Dame

Quarter Finals:

  • (Winner of Arizona State vs. Ohio State) vs. no. 11 Boise State
  • (Tennessee vs. Georgia winner) vs. no. 1 Oregon
  • (Winner of Indiana vs. Penn State) vs. no. 6 Miami
  • (Winner of SMU vs. Notre Dame) vs. No. 3 Texas

This week’s rankings have Clemson and Alabama as the first teams out. Clemson holds their destiny in their own hands with a game against South Carolina this week. It would be a strong win that should push Clemson into the playoffs if a team above them either loses or struggles in any of their final games.

Alabama, meanwhile, has a tougher road to the playoffs. After their embarrassing loss to Oklahoma, it will be difficult for the selection committee to set Crimson Tide in the 12-team pool. With only Auburn remaining on their schedule, the Crimson Tide will likely need several teams above them to collapse in order for them to sneak into the CFP.

All times eastern.

First round:

  • Game 1: Friday 20 December at 20 | ABC, ESPN
  • Game 2: Saturday 21 December at 12 | TNT Sports
  • Game 3: Saturday 21 December at 16 | TNT Sports
  • Game 4: Saturday 21 December at 20 | ABC, ESPN

Playoff quarter-final round:

  • Vrbo Fiesta bowl: Tuesday 31 December at 19:30 | ESPN
  • Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl: Wednesday 1 January at 13 | ESPN
  • Rose Bowl: Wednesday 1 January at 17 | ESPN
  • Allstate Sugar Bowl: Wednesday 1 January at 20.45 | ESPN

Playoff Semi-Final Round:

  • Capital One Orange Bowl: Thursday 9 January at 19.30 | ESPN
  • Goodyear cotton cup: Friday, January 10 at 19.30 | ESPN

National Championship:

  • National Championship: Monday 20 January at 19.30 | ESPN

ESPN is currently showing the end of the Maui Invitational game between Memphis and Michigan State. At the time of writing, the network has not announced coverage on another network. The game is currently in the final four minutes with Memphis leading, 66-55.

How to watch the CFP Rankings release show: Time, TV, streaming

  • Date: Tuesday 26 Nov
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET
  • TV: ESPN
  • Current: Fubo

Watch the CFP Rankings Show on ESPN with a Fubo subscription

The College Football Playoff rankings are released each week through a CFP rankings show broadcast by ESPN every Tuesday, from November 5th through December 3rd. This week’s show is scheduled to air from 8:00 PM ET and ends at 9 p.m. ET.

This season, there are 12 teams in the College Football Playoff for the first time. College football previously introduced the CFP in 2014 with a four-team format. The 12-team expansion is set for the 2024 and 2025 college football seasons. Executives within the sport have not agreed to playoff frameworks beyond that at this time.

The 12 participating teams in the College Football Playoff bracket will be the five highest-ranked conference champions by the CFP selection committee and the next seven highest-ranked teams.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive a first-round bye. The fifth conference champion will be seeded where it was ranked among the top 12 teams, or as the No. 12 if it is outside the top 12 in the CFP rankings. Non-conference champions ranked in the top four will be seeded from No. 5.

“Because of this,” the common fisheries policy warns on its website“the seeding, 1 through 12, could look different than the final ranking.”

In the first round, the higher-ranked team in each pairing (5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs. 9) will play host on campus. The winners advance to the quarterfinals and match up with the corresponding top-4 conference champion based on seeding. The quarterfinals are played at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The semifinals – played at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic – take place on 9-10 January.

The two semifinal winners will play for the national championship on January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. – Mark Giannotto

Erick Smith, USA TODAY

  1. Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
  2. Georgia (SEC Champion)*
  3. Miami (ACC Champion)*
  4. Arizona State (Big 12 Champion)*
  5. Ohio State
  6. Texas
  7. Penn State
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Indiana
  10. Tennessee
  11. SMU
  12. Boise State (Group of Five Champion)**

*Receives first round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bids

Bracket – first round games

  • No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
  • no. 6 Texas vs. no. 11 SMU
  • No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Tennessee
  • No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Indiana

Athletics

  1. Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
  2. Georgia (SEC Champion)*
  3. Miami (ACC Champion)*
  4. Boise State (Group of Five Champion)*
  5. Ohio State
  6. Penn State
  7. Texas
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Indiana
  10. Tennessee
  11. SMU
  12. Iowa State (Big 12 Champion)**

*Receives first round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bids

Bracket – first round games

  • No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Iowa State
  • No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU
  • no. 7 Texas vs. no. 10 Tennessee
  • No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Indiana

*Receives first round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bids

Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY

  1. Oregon
  2. Ohio State
  3. Texas
  4. Penn State
  5. Notre Dame
  6. Miami
  7. Georgia
  8. Tennessee
  9. SMU
  10. Indiana
  11. Boise State
  12. Arizona State

Heather Dinish, ESPN

  1. Oregon
  2. Ohio State
  3. Texas
  4. Penn State
  5. Notre Dame
  6. Miami
  7. Georgia
  8. Tennessee
  9. SMU
  10. Boise State
  11. Indiana
  12. Alabama
  13. Mississippi
  14. South Carolina
  15. Texas A&M
  16. Clemson
  17. Arizona State
  18. BYU
  19. Tulane
  20. Colorado
  21. Iowa State
  22. UNLV
  23. Missouri
  24. Illinois
  25. army

As of Nov. 26, here are the latest College Football Playoff title odds from BetMGM:

  • Ohio State (+275)
  • Georgia (+350)
  • Oregon (+400)
  • Texas (+450)
  • Notre Dame (+1400)
  • Penn State (+1800)
  • Tennessee (+2000)
  • Miami (+2500)
  • Alabama (+4000)
  • SMU (+4000)
  • Clemson (+5000)
  • Indiana (+5000)
  • Arizona State (+8000)
  • Boise State (+12,500)
  • South Carolina (+15,000)
  • Texas A&M (+20,000)
  • Colorado (+20,000)
  • Tulane (+20,000)
  • Iowa State (+25,000)
  • BYU (+25,000)
  • UNLV (+100,000)

The fourth College Football Playoff rankings for the 2024 season will be released on Tuesday, November 26. A new top 25 ranking will be released by the CFP Selection Committee every Tuesday through December 3rd. This is followed by a CFP selection show on December 8 to announce the 12-team playoff field.

Here is the schedule for the College Football Playoff rankings. All times are Eastern:

  • Position 4: Tuesday 26 November at 20.00 – 21.00
  • Position 5: Tuesday 3 December at 19.00 – 19.30
  • Election day: Sunday, December 8, noon – 4 p.m
  • No. 1 Oregon (11-0) – BYE
  • No. 2 Ohio State (9-1) – W vs. Indiana, 38-15
  • No. 3 Texas (9-1) – W v. Kentucky, 31-14
  • No. 4 Penn State (9-1) – W @ Minnesota, 26-25
  • No. 5 Indiana (10-0) – L @ Ohio State, 38-15
  • No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1) – W v. Army, 49-14
  • No. 7 Alabama (8-2) – L @ Oklahoma, 24-3
  • No. 8 Miami (9-1) – W v. Wake Forest, 42-14
  • No. 9 Ole Miss (8-2) – L @ Florida, 24-17
  • No. 10 Georgia (8-2) – W v. UMass, 59-21
  • No. 11 Tennessee (9-2) – W v. UTEP, 56-0
  • No. 12 Boise State (9-1) – W @ Wyoming, 17-13
  • No. 13 SMU (9-1) – W @ Virginia, 33-7
  • No. 14 BYU (9-1) – L @ Arizona State, 28-23
  • No. 15 Texas A&M (8-2) – L @ Auburn, 43-41
  • No. 16 Colorado (8-2) – L @ Kansas, 37-21
  • no. 17 Clemson (8-2) – W v. Citadel, 51-14
  • No. 18. South Carolina (7-3) – W v. Wofford, 56-12
  • No. 19 Army (9-0) – L @ Notre Dame, 49-14
  • no. 20 Tulane (9-2) – BYE
  • No. 21 Arizona State (8-2) – W v. BYU, 28-23
  • No. 22 Iowa State (8-2) – W @ Utah, 31-28
  • No. 23 Missouri (7-3) – W @ Mississippi State, 39-20
  • No. 24 UNLV (8-2) – W @ San Jose State, 27-16
  • No. 25 Illinois (7-3) – W @ Rutgers, 38-31

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