Bowl projections: Georgia earns first-round bye in College Football Playoff bracket

Face a college Football Oklahoma, the 11th-ranked team with two losses, delivered their best performance of the year at the fourth-ranked Alabama. The Sooners were able to snuff out the Crimson Tide’s eight-game win streak, and regained the control of their fate. Brent Venables’ defensive play helped Oklahoma to leapfrog Texas in the race, with a stronger schedule and a better game control. With a 10-2 predicted finish, the Sooners are ranked No. 9. Alabama will need to defeat Auburn at rivalry weekend, which is the last weekend of the month, to ensure a playoff berth. The Crimson Tide’s at-large hopes would be stifled if they lost to the Tigers in an upset. Georgia’s 5th place win over Texas 10th place pushes them out of contention this week, and opens up the possibility of a Bulldogs first round bye. Georgia’s won six straight games and would have an opportunity at defending its SEC title in Atlanta if Alabama loses to Auburn or Texas beats Texas A&M on Nov. 28.

2025 ACC Championship Game Scenarios: Georgia Tech is in the driver’s chair, but Miami has a path to victory after winning Week 12

Brad Crawford

Next week, after accurately projecting the 25 teams – including the top 14 in descending order – of last week’s second selection committee rankings we will have our updated predictions on how we believe Tuesday’s new ballot will look.

For now, here’s a glance at how we see the 12-team CFP bracket unfolding in early December coming out of Week 12:Quarterfinals DateGame / LocationProjectionJan. 1 Rose BowlPasadena, Calif.(1) Ohio State vs. (8/9) WinnerJan. 1 Sugar BowlNew Orleans, La.(2) Texas A&M vs. (7/10) WinnerJan. 1 Orange BowlMiami, Fla.(3) Indiana vs. (6/11) WinnerDec. 31 Cotton BowlArlington, Texas(4) Georgia vs. (5/12) WinnerFirst roundDate LocationProjectionWinner facesDec. 19 or 20Autzen StadiumEugene, Ore.(8) Oregon vs. (9) Oklahoma(1) Ohio StateDec. 19 or 20Vaught Hemingway StadiumOxford.(7) Ole Miss vs. (10) Notre Dame(2) Texas A&MDec. 19 or 20Bryant Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, Ala.(6) Alabama vs. (11) Georgia Tech(3) IndianaDec. 19 or 20Jones AT&T StadiumLubbock, Texas(5) Texas Tech vs. (12) North Texas(4) GeorgiaDon’t see your team? Check out Brad Crawford’s complete bowl projections.Projected College Football Playoff Field breakdown1. Ohio State: The Buckeyes are projected to be the Big Ten champions. There is a narrative that has developed around them, stating that they will suffer in the playoffs because of their lackluster performance this year. What if Ohio State has been that much better in the past than its opponents? If both teams win, we’ll find out more in two weeks when Michigan plays and then in the Big Ten championship game against Indiana. Texas A&M (projected SEC champion): Whatever Mike Elko told his unbeaten Aggies at halftime of a 27-point deficit against South Carolina worked as Texas A&M pieced together the biggest SEC comeback in two decades. Marcel Reed was brilliant after the intermission. Reed shook off several first-half mistakes to help the Aggies notch 28 unanswered goals. With a win against Texas in two week, they’ll be in the SEC Championship Game. Indiana: Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman-winning frontrunner, scored four more touchdowns to help the Hoosiers beat Wisconsin. Purdue is the last hurdle before the Hoosiers can complete an undefeated regular season. We are all eagerly awaiting the Ohio State-Indiana game in Indianapolis which will determine the top seed. Georgia: If they win the SEC Championship Game and finish at least 11-1, their path to a top four seed and an opening round bye that we predicted before the Texas win may become a reality. Georgia’s one loss came in September against Alabama. The Bulldogs could have 1) a better record than Alabama 2) a rivalry weekend win over Georgia Tech 3) and no embarrassing setbacks. Texas Tech: Style points. It’s all about the Red Raiders moving forward, as they are the overwhelming favorites for the Big 12 in light of last week’s thrashing of BYU. We still view the Big 12 as one-bid league, with projected runner up BYU in need of help. Alabama: Despite their loss to Oklahoma on Saturday ending the Crimson TIde’s eight-game win streak, a victory against Auburn in two weeks is enough to get them into the league title game. However, a loss to Texas A&M and a 10-3 finish would be enough — we’re projecting — to push Kalen DeBoer’s squad out of a first-round bye opportunity.7. Ole Miss – Distracted? The Rebels were behind for most of the game against Florida at home, as the program was courting Lane Kiffin to fill its coaching vacancy. They settled down late to avoid a colossal upset for the second straight season against the Gators and only have Mississippi State left to wrap up their first playoff appearance in program history. 8. Oregon: No. If the Ducks win next week against USC and then Washington to finish things off, it should be enough for the committee to get the final home first-round game. Losing to either team complicates things, especially for the Trojans. USC could be pushed into the bracket while Oregon is eliminated. Oklahoma: It would take a lot of courage to rank the Sooners higher than Oregon despite the fact that they have a single loss. The Sooners, despite the difference in record between them and Oregon, will be moving up from No. After beating Alabama, we’re firmly in the “at-large” category. We’re picking 10-2 and No. The 9 seed is ahead of the Fighting Irish with 10 wins, but without the same quality of wins. Notre Dame: Holding onto our “last team” designation, they easily defeated Pitt behind Jeremiyah love and CJ Car for their eighth straight win. Notre Dame is a favorite of the committee, and should be able to cruise past Syracuse and Stanford in the remaining weeks. This team will lock up a first round road game unless further chaos occurs. The committee has already expressed their opinion about Miami. Georgia Tech: With two weeks to go, they are the only ACC team that can control their destiny. The Yellow Jackets’ win over Boston College wasn’t pretty, but was effective. Georgia Tech will be able to secure a place in the ACC championship game if they beat Pitt next week. Brent Key defeating Kirby Smart on rivalry weekend could push the Yellow Jackets to a higher seeding. North Texas (projected Group of Five champion): Down goes South Florida! Navy’s victory over the Bulls made the Midshipmen one of only four teams to have one conference loss going into Week 13. We’re still sticking with the Mean Green for our projected American champion in this spot. James Madison defeated Appalachian State 58-10, and the Dukes also remained in the race.

2025-11-16 04:12:31