The second College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night, and the top eight teams remained unchanged. No. 1 Ohio State is No. 1, Georgia is No. 2, Michigan is No. 3 and Florida State No. 4.
This is the final year of the four-team playoff, as the bracket will expand to 12 teams next year and there will be four rounds of playoffs rather than two.
Each week at Sporting News, we will take a look at what a 12-team playoff would look like using the selection committee’s rankings.
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What a 12-team playoff bracket would look like
A 12-team field would be made up of the six highest ranked conference champions and the next six highest ranked teams. Next year, that will likely change to five conference champions and seven at-large teams given the essential dissolution of the Pac-12. For the purposes of this exercise, we will use the 6/6 model.
The top four seeds are the four highest conference champions, and they receive byes into the quarterfinals.
So what would the bracket look like if the field was unveiled today?
Here would be the first-round matchups.
No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Michigan
The Wolverines get the No. 5 seed as the top at-large by the committee, and they have proven thus far to have no issues against teams they are heavily favored against. Tulane had its moment of glory in the Cotton Bowl last season against USC. Would be tough to picture a repeat in the Big House.
Winner gets No. 4 Washington
No. 11 Louisville at No. 6 Oregon
In the new format, surprising Louisville gets a seat at the table and travels to play the nation's No. 1 scoring team. Oregon would be a heavy favorite, but this would be a highly entertaining game.
Winner gets No. 3 Florida State
No. 10 Penn State at No. 7 Texas
Penn State would face the same questions it is facing now - can its elite defense hide the flaws of its offense against elite competition? Traveling to Austin would be a classic matchup of two bluebloods who have only met five times, and only once in Austin.
Winner gets No. 2 Georgia
No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 8 Alabama
A rematch of Alabama's 24-10 victory. You know Lane Kiffin would love another crack at Nick Saban after coming up empty in Week 4.
Winner gets No. 1 Ohio State
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Seeds for a 12-team playoff
Here are the seeds for a 12-team playoff based on the current rankings and conference standings.
No. 1 seed Ohio State (9-0) – Ohio State struggled for a while with Rutgers, but in the end, it was a 19-point road victory over a six-win team. The Buckeyes’ resume still trumps the eye test, though they better get their offense together before facing Michigan on Nov. 25 if it wants to hold on to the No. 1 spot.
No. 2 seed Georgia (9-0) – Georgia was tested by Missouri at home and passed the test to extend its winning streak to 26 games. Quarterback Carson Beck has been steady and the defense has yet to give up more than 21 points. The Bulldogs get the second challenge of a three-week run with Ole Miss on Saturday before going to Tennessee. Should Georgia win all three, they will likely move to No. 1.
No. 3 seed Florida State (9-0) – Florida State played without its top two receivers in Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, but still beat Pitt 24-7 and clinched a spot in the ACC title game for the first time since 2014. Struggling Miami awaits this week.
No. 4 seed Washington (9-0) – Washington shook off two weeks of middling performances with an exciting 52-42 win at USC. The Huskies held USC scoreless in the fourth quarter to pick up the win and hold onto a first-round bye in this format.
No. 5 seed Michigan (9-0) – On the field? No problem. A dominant win over Purdue. Off the field? There’s a big problem looming. Will Jim Harbaugh coach against Penn State this weekend or will he be suspended over former assistant Connor Stalions’ sign-stealing efforts?
No. 6 seed Oregon (8-1) – The Ducks pounded Cal 63-19 and now Bo Nix to polish his Heisman resume against the woeful USC defense this week. You get the sense Oregon is counting the days to get another crack at Washington in the Pac-12 title game.
No. 7 seed Texas (8-1) – Texas blew a 20-point lead but survived Kansas State 33-30 in overtime. The timeline on Quinn Ewers returning at quarterback is murky, but its clear Texas could use him sooner rather than later. Texas is 3-8 vs. TCU since the Frogs joined the Big 12, but the Horns are a solid 10-point favorite Saturday.
No. 8 seed Alabama (8-1) – The Crimson Tide survived an early threat from LSU QB Jayden Daniels to pull away from the Tigers. A win over Kentucky will wrap up another SEC West title for the Tide.
No. 9 seed Ole Miss (8-1) – The Rebels’ lone blemish is a road loss to Alabama. This week, they have another road test at Georgia. The Rebs are the only SEC team to have to visit the favorites of both divisions. Can Lane Kiffin finally get his breakthrough moment?
No. 10 seed Penn State (8-1) – The hopes for a Big Ten championship are on the line this weekend at Michigan. A win there and PSU can hope for a three-way tie in the east between Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. PSU holds a slim advantage in the tiebreaker.
No. 11 seed Louisville (8-1) – First-year coach Jeff Brohm has the Cardinals on track to face Florida State in the ACC championship game. Since its surprising loss to Pitt, Louisville has combined to beat Duke and Virginia Tech 57-3.
No. 12 seed Tulane (8-1) – The Green Wave was a bit of a surprise last week as the committee’s highest-ranked G5 team, and they almost slipped up against one-win East Carolina on Saturday. Tulane came back from a 10-0 deficit to win 13-10 and maintain its hold on the top G5 spot.
