The 12-team playoff is coming one year too late. But at least it is coming.
Undefeated Florida State did not make the 2023 College Football Playoff, and Georgia dropped from No. 1 to No. 6 on championship weekend with a three-point loss to Alabama. That is the end of the national title hopes for those two elite teams, but moving forward, they will get another crack at the postseason.
Next season, there will be 12 playoff teams. There will be five automatic qualifiers and seven at-large bids. The five highest ranked conference champions will get an auto-bid, and the four highest ranked conference champions will get the top four seeds and a bye to the quarterfinals.
If the 12-team bracket was in place for this year, this is what the matchups would look like.
MORE: College football bowl schedule for 2023-24 postseason
What a 12-team bracket would look like
What would a 12-team bracket look like using the committee’s final rankings?
Here are the first-round matchups:
No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Florida State
It is a battle of unbeatens! This matchup would obviously take place without Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis, but backup Tate Rodemaker would likely be available for the game after sitting out the ACC championship game in concussion protocol. He was a game-time decision. The Noles' defense has clearly stepped up and would be ready for a Liberty team that had the weakest strength of schedule in the country under first-year coach Jamey Chadwell.
Winner plays No. 4 Alabama
No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Georgia
Rematch! The first time around was a bit of a bloodbath, and Georgia ran and hid from the Rebels 52-17. It was a complete performance for the Bulldogs and didn't reveal any weaknesses the Rebels could attack the second time around. This is an unfortunate matchup for a team that beat everyone on its schedule but Georgia and Alabama. A Georgia-Texas matchup in the quarters would be delicious.
Winner plays No. 3 Texas
No. 10 Penn State at No. 7 Ohio State
Another rematch, this time in the Big Ten, with the winner playing future Big Ten-member Washington. Ohio State's defense dominated in the first matchup, smothering Penn State quarterback Drew Allar all day. Another unfortunate matchup, as Penn State is 0-4 the last two years against Ohio State and Michigan and 20-0 against everybody else.
Winner plays No. 2 Washington
No. 9 Missouri at No. 8 Oregon
The explosive Tigers get to face a team that could legitimately win this tournament. Missouri was on a roll late in the year and could keep pace with the potent Oregon offense led by Heisman contender Bo Nix. The two schools have met just once, a 1972 matchup that Missouri won 24-22. This one would likely be higher scoring but maybe just as close.
Winner plays No. 1 Michigan
Seeds for a 12-team playoff
Here is what the seeding would look like for a 12-team playoff based on the committee’s final rankings. Remember, the top four seeds have to be conference champions.
No. 1 seed Michigan (13-0)
The team that was forced to use an interim coach six times due to suspensions to Jim Harbaugh blew through its schedule virtually unchallenged save for the matchup with Ohio State. Michigan is a talented, veteran team with a plus quarterback that does not beat itself. Michigan is third in the nation in fewest giveaways with seven and is the least penalized team in the nation. That is the sign of a well-coached team, no matter who is standing on the sidelines on game day.
Fast Fact: Michigan is 29-1 in its last 30 Big Ten games.
No. 2 seed Washington (13-0)
The Huskies carry the nation's longest winning streak after edging past Oregon for the second time in the Pac-12 championship game. Kalen DeBoer immediately revived a program that imploded under Jimmy Lake in 2020 and 2021 and has Washington in the hunt for the school' first national championship since 1991.
Fast Fact: Washington is 11-2 in one-score games under DeBoer, winning its last 11 straight.
No. 3 seed Texas (12-1)
The Longhorns won the Big 12 championship by four touchdowns over Oklahoma State, and it was enough to jump four spots on championship weekend. Quinn Ewers had a career day against the Cowboys, and Texas enters the postseason on a roll, winning its last two games by an average of 39 points.
Fast fact: With their win over Oklahoma State, the Longhorns won the final matchup against every team in the Big 12 it is leaving behind when it announced it was joining the SEC.
BENDER: We're headed for a Texas-Alabama rematch
No. 4 seed Alabama (12-1)
Like Texas, Alabama also jumped four spots on championship weekend by knocking off No. 1 Georgia 27-24. The Tide looked shaky at the beginning of the season in losses to Texas and a win at USF, but Jalen Milroe and the offense has made big strides and they enter the tournament with as good of a shot as anyone to win the title.
Fast fact: Alabama is the first SEC champion with a regular-season non-conference loss since 2000 (Florida).
No. 5 seed Florida State (13-0)
The Seminoles finished off their first undefeated season since 2013, but they will not be in the four-team bracket. Quarterback Jordan Travis' injury was the main reason Florida State was dropped on championship weekend. Non-conference wins over LSU and Florida was not enough.
Fast fact: Florida State's 16 points in the ACC championship game was the fewest for an ACC champ since Wake Forest beat Georgia Tech 9-6 in 2006.
No. 6 seed Georgia (12-1)
The Bulldogs 29-game winning streak came to a halt against an Alabama team that has literally been unbeatable in Atlanta since 2008 (17-0). Georgia could not come up with key stops in the fourth quarter to rally past the Tide. Top 25 wins against Kentucky, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri earn Georgia a home playoff game in next year's bracket.
Fast fact: Since 2017, Kirby Smart is 1-5 vs. Alabama and 53-5 vs. the rest of the SEC.
No. 7 Ohio State (11-1)
The team that was ranked No. 1 for the first two weeks of the playoff committee's rankings ends up with a No. 7 seed because of a six-point loss at Michigan. The Buckeyes had quality wins against Penn State and Notre Dame on their resume, but their inability to get past the Wolverines knocked them out of a first-round bye in this format.
Fast fact: This is the lowest Ohio State has ever been ranked in the 10-year history of college football's Selection Sunday.
No. 8 seed Oregon (11-2)
The Ducks were listed as just a projected one-point underdog to undefeated No. 1 Georgia prior to Championship weekend, and now they would find themselves in the No. 8 spot because they could not beat Washington in two opportunities. The consolation may be a Heisman Trophy for quarterback Bo Nix, but even that race is going to go down to the wire with Michael Penix Jr. and LSU's Jayden Daniels. The Ducks finished with a 3-2 record against teams ranked at the time, and one of those wins was Colorado.
Fast fact: Oregon's +349 point differential for the season is second to Michigan (+354).
No. 9 seed Missouri (10-2)
Eli Drinkwitz entered the season bordering on hot-seat status with no winning seasons in his first three years in Columbia. Running back Cody Schrader finished second in the nation with 124.9 rushing yards per game, Brady Cook developed at quarterback and Missouri had its best season since 2014 when it won the SEC East.
Fast fact: Kicker Harrison Mevis’ 61-yard field goal to beat Kansas State set an SEC record.
No. 10 seed Penn State (10-2)
Penn State continues to roll through the Big Ten but cannot overcome the Big Two of Ohio State and Michigan. The Lions’ offense, which struggled against Michigan and Ohio State, finished second in the league in scoring at 37.2 points per game under first-year quarterback Drew Allar.
Fast fact: Penn State scored at least 30 points nine times this season and did not surrender 30 points once.
No. 11 seed Ole Miss (10-2)
The Rebels went 0-2 against Georgia and Alabama, and a spiffy 10-0 against everyone else. Ole Miss was third in the SEC in offense with running back Quinson Judkins and quarterback Jaxson Dart leading the way. A 55-49 win over LSU was the highlight of the season.
Fast fact: The Rebs’ 6-2 SEC mark is tied for their best league record since the 2003 Rebels went 7-1 with Eli Manning at QB.
No. 12 seed Liberty (13-0)
Quarterback Kaidon Salter led the Flames to a perfect season in their debut in Conference USA as he accounted for 43 touchdowns (31 passing, 12 rushing) in Jamey Chadwell's unique offense. The Flames did not play a Power 5 opponent, but they did roll through the schedule with 11 wins of at least 10 points and beat New Mexico State in the C-USA title game.
Fast fact: The Flames are 47-16 the last five years and have reached five straight bowl games.
