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College Football Playoff rankings: Projected 12-team bracket; Miami ...

College Football Playoff rankings Projected 12team bracket Miami
The fifth College Football Playoff rankings have been released. See the latest CFP bracket and find out who is in and who is on the bubble.
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CFP Rankings: Alabama barely hangs on, Miami on outside looking in

There is big movement in the final College Football Playoff ranking before the conference championships and Dan Wolken is here to break it down.

Sports Pulse

The College Football Playoff entered its final phase this Tuesday, marking the last time the committee would release its projections ahead of Selection Sunday's definitive rankings.

That is when we get the final bracket and clarity on the teams that will make up the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket.

Bowl season will look a great deal different this year, and Tuesday's rankings reveal offered plenty of intrigue with upsetting losses this past weekend for the likes of Miami and Ohio State.

Here is everything that went down during the final CFP rankings release show.

CFP RANKINGS GRADES: How committee fared

*-projected first-round bye

  • No. 1 Oregon (12-0)*
  • No. 2 Texas (11-1)*
  • No. 3 Penn State (11-1)
  • No. 4 Notre Dame (11-1)
  • No. 5 Georgia (10-2)
  • No. 6 Ohio State (10-2)
  • No. 7 Tennessee (10-2)
  • No. 8 SMU (10-2)*
  • No. 9 Indiana (11-1)
  • No. 10 Boise State (11-1)*
  • No. 11 Alabama (9-3)
  • No. 12 Miami (10-2)
  • No. 13 Ole Miss (9-3)
  • No. 14 South Carolina (9-3)
  • No. 15 Arizona state (10-2) - would earn final spot in CFP as fifth-highest ranked projected champion
  • No. 16 Iowa State (10-2)
  • No. 17 Clemson (9-3)
  • No. 18 BYU (10-2)
  • No. 19 Missouri (9-3)
  • No. 20 UNLV (10-2)
  • No. 21 Illinois (9-3)
  • No. 22 Syracuse (9-3)
  • No. 23 Colorado (9-3)
  • No. 24 Army (10-1)
  • No. 25 Memphis (10-2)

Based on latest CFP rankings and projections.

First Round:

  • No. 12 Arizona State at No. 5 Penn State
  • No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State
  • No. 11 Alabama at No. 6 Notre Dame
  • No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Georgia

Quarterfinals:

  • (Winner of Arizona State vs. Penn State) vs. No. 4 Boise State
  • (Winner of Tennessee vs. Ohio State) vs. No. 1 Oregon
  • (Winner of Alabama vs. Notre Dame) vs. No. 3 SMU
  • (Winner of Indiana vs. Georgia) vs. No. 2 Texas

In the fifth and final rankings before Selection Sunday, the first teams out were Miami and Ole Miss. While both teams have a strong case for a playoff bid, neither team will be participating in their conference championship, meaning their seasons are likely done. It would take a massive collapse, injury, or something similar in order for any team with no more games on their schedule to be moved up in the rankings.

During the reveal show, a member of the CFP Rankings committee noted that Alabama (3-1 against currently ranked teams) has done better against ranked teams than Miami (0-1 against currently ranked teams), which ultimately gave them the edge in the rankings despite their three losses.

All times Eastern.

First Round:

  • Game 1: Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN
  • Game 2: Saturday, December 21 at 12 p.m. | TNT Sports
  • Game 3: Saturday, December 21 at 4 p.m. | TNT Sports
  • Game 4: Saturday, December 21 at 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN

Playoff Quarterfinals Round:

  • Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Tuesday, December 31 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
  • Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 1 p.m. | ESPN
  • Rose Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 5 p.m. | ESPN
  • Allstate Sugar Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 8:45 p.m. | ESPN

Playoff Semifinals Round:

  • Capital One Orange Bowl: Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
  • Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Friday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

National Championship:

  • National Championship: Monday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

How to watch CFP Rankings release show: Time, TV, streaming

  • Date: Tuesday, Dec. 3
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • TV: ESPN
  • Stream: Fubo

Watch the CFP Rankings Show on ESPN with a Fubo subscription

Erick Smith, USA TODAY

  1. Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
  2. Texas (SEC champion)*
  3. SMU (ACC champion)*
  4. Arizona State (Big 12 champion)*
  5. Notre Dame
  6. Ohio State
  7. Georgia
  8. Penn State
  9. Tennessee
  10. Boise State**
  11. Indiana
  12. Alabama

*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bid

Bracket – first round games

  • No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Alabama
  • No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Indiana
  • No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Boise State
  • No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 9 Tennessee

R.J. Young, FOX Sports

  1. Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
  2. Texas (SEC champion)*
  3. SMU (ACC champion)*
  4. Arizona State (Big 12 champion)*
  5. Notre Dame
  6. Penn State
  7. Indiana
  8. Georgia
  9. Ohio State
  10. Tennessee
  11. Alabama
  12. Boise State**

*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bid

Bracket – first round games

  • No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Boise State
  • No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Alabama
  • No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 10 Tennessee
  • No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Ohio State

Blake Toppmeyer, USA Today

  1. Oregon
  2. Texas
  3. Penn State
  4. Notre Dame
  5. Georgia
  6. Ohio State
  7. Tennessee
  8. SMU
  9. Indiana
  10. Boise State
  11. Alabama
  12. South Carolina
  13. Arizona State

Heather Dinich, ESPN

  1. Oregon
  2. Texas
  3. Penn State
  4. Notre Dame
  5. Georgia
  6. Ohio State
  7. Tennessee
  8. SMU
  9. Indiana
  10. Boise State
  11. Miami
  12. Alabama
  13. Ole Miss
  14. South Carolina
  15. Arizona State
  16. Iowa State
  17. Clemson
  18. BYU
  19. Missouri
  20. UNLV
  21. Colorado
  22. Illinois
  23. Syracuse
  24. Memphis
  25. Texas A&M

The fifth College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released Tuesday, Dec. 3. This is followed by a CFP selection show on Dec. 8 to announce the 12-team playoff field.

Here is the schedule for the College Football Playoff rankings show. All times are Eastern:

  • Ranking 5: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7-7:30 p.m.
  • Selection Day: Sunday, Dec. 8, noon-4 p.m.

The College Football Playoff rankings are released each week through a CFP rankings show broadcasted by ESPN every Tuesday, from Nov. 5 through Dec. 3. This week's show is slated to air starting at 7 p.m. ET and ending at 8 p.m. ET.

The College Football Playoff rankings show will air on ESPN, with the broadcast starting at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Fans can also stream the show on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

As of Dec. 3, here are the latest College Football Playoff title odds from BetMGM:

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

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