Here’s what the College Football Playoff bracket would look like based on rankings after Week 14
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The second-to-last College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday. On Sunday afternoon, we’ll find out the 12 teams that will make the field.
As far as Tuesday’s rankings, Ohio State and Indiana still hold down the top two spots and would receive a first-round bye based on the latest bracket projections. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers are set to meet in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship game. Meanwhile, Georgia and Texas Tech moved into No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, after Texas A&M‘s loss to Texas dropped the Aggies to No. 7.
If the Playoff was based on Tuesday’s rankings, the Buckeyes would be projected to play either eighth-ranked Oklahoma or ninth-ranked Alabama. The Sooners would host the Crimson Tide in an all-SEC first-rounder in Norman. The Hoosiers would play seventh-seeded Texas A&M or 10th-seeded Notre Dame in a quarterfinal.
Right now, the SEC, B1G, and Big 12 champs are projected to get into the field automatically. But the two remaining autobids will appear to come down to the ACC, Sun Belt, and American champions. Ole Miss — and new head coach Pete Golding — would host the fourth-ranked conference champion, with the winner playing Georgia. Oregon, the fifth-ranked team, is projected to host the fifth-ranked conference champ, with the winner squaring off against Texas Tech.
But back to Texas which, despite winning six of its last seven and knocking the Aggies from the ranks of the unbeaten, wouldn’t make the field based on these projections. Neither would Miami, which is ranked No. 12 and also below the cut line.
Here’s a look at the post-Week 14 projected Playoff bracket in visual form:
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
