3 days Ago
The most glaring difference in the 12-team College Football Playoff is unfolding this month, as conference championship games matter more than ever and no Power 4 team has clinched a spot in its respective title game yet. Six SEC teams are still alive in the race for Atlanta and neither spot will be determined until the final week of the regular season, according to ESPN Research. The five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed spots in the playoff, and the four highest-ranked conference champions earn first-round byes.
Which leads to two of the biggest questions heading into Tuesday's 7 p.m. ET rankings reveal on ESPN: Will Big 12 leader BYU drop behind Mountain West Conference leader Boise State, opening the possibility that the Broncos can earn a first-round bye? And will Georgia's win against Tennessee be enough to overcome head-to-head losses to both Alabama and Ole Miss? Based on how the committee ranked its second top 25 last week and understanding what the members value, here is a snapshot of what it might look like -- through 12 weeks of data.
Check back after the reveal for an updated bracket and list of teams on the bubble. For now, this is what the seeding and bracket would look like based on the committee's projected top 12 for this week -- plus a look at eight more teams that could play their way in, and how the Group of 5 race stacks up. Jump to a topic: Byes | First-round matchups Last two in | First four out Next four out | Group of 5 Continue reading this article and more from top writers, for only $11.
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