The College Football Playoff is starting to shape up heading into conference championship week.
With only one week left before the 12-team bracket is set, five teams are aiming to secure automatic bids as the five highest-ranked conference champions, while others are hoping for the right dominos to fall for them to grab an at-large bid.
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Some programs like No. 1 Oregon (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) have all but locked up a CFP berth even with a loss in its conference championship game, same with No. 2 Texas (11-1, 7-1 SEC). Other at-large teams like No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 Ohio State are in strong position for a CFP berth, despite not playing in a conference championship.
There’s still plenty to figure out, especially for bubble teams like No. 11 Alabama (9-3, 5-3), who hopes to reach the CFP despite three losses this season.
Here’s a look at the latest College Football Playoff predictions, based on the updated US LBM Coaches Poll:
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Seedings are based on the latest US LBM Coaches Poll and the rules of the CFP format.
*Receives automatic bid, first-round bye; **Receives automatic bid
Oregon, Texas, SMU and Boise State occupy the top four spots in the rankings as the projected highest-ranked conference champions. Of course, this could change based on how those four teams fare in their conference championships, as each team is playing for their respective conference title.
Arizona State is only two spots behind Boise State and is hoping for either a big win to push it over the Broncos, or for Boise State to lose so it can move into the top four seeds in the bracket.
At-large teams like Alabama and Indiana, which don’t play in their conference championships on Dec. 7, are holding on by a thread and are hoping for the right dominos to fall in order for them to stay in the playoff field.
If the season ended before conference championships, here’s how the CFP bracket would look for the first season of the 12-team field:
If the season ended after the regular season, Arizona State would head to Happy Valley to face Penn State, while Notre Dame would host Alabama in South Bend, Indiana. Georgia would host Indiana, while Ohio State would travel to Tennessee.
The Penn State-Arizona State winner would face No. 4 Boise State in the quarterfinal, while the Notre Dame-Alabama winner would face SMU. The Georgia-Indiana winner would then face Texas, and the Tennessee-Ohio State winner would face Oregon.
The first round of the College Football Playoff will take place on Friday, Dec. 20, and Saturday, Dec. 21, at the sites of the higher-seeded at-large team.
The quarterfinals, where the first-round winners face one of the four teams that received a first-round bye, will be played at various former New Year’s Six bowl locations.
The CFP national championship game will be held on Monday, Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Here’s a full list of dates for the CFP this season:
The final CFP rankings will release at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 3, before the final bracket is set on Sunday, Dec. 8, at noon ET.
Here’s a full list of the remaining CFP rankings release dates:
All times Eastern
