College Football Playoff: Projecting What a 12-Team Field Would Look Like for 2023

BleedGopher

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Per Athlon:

1. Georgia (Projected SEC Champion)
2. Michigan (Projected Big Ten Champion)
3. Washington (Projected Pac-12 Champion)
4. Florida State (Projected ACC Champion)

5. Ohio State
6. Oregon
7. Texas (Projected Big 12 Champion)
8. Alabama
9. Missouri
10. Ole Miss
11. Penn State
12. Tulane (Projected AAC Champion/Highest Ranked G5 Team)

First-Round Games

No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Tulane (Columbus, Ohio)
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Penn State (Eugene, Ore.)
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Ole Miss (Austin, Texas)
No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Missouri (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Second-Round Games

(Projections and winners of matchups using highest-rated seeds. Second-round games are scheduled to be played at bowl sites in 2024-25.)


No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama (Peach Bowl)
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 7 Texas (Rose Bowl)
No. 3 Washington vs. No. 6 Oregon (Fiesta Bowl)
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 5 Ohio State (Sugar Bowl)

First-Round Games

No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Tulane (Columbus, Ohio)
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Penn State (Eugene, Ore.)
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Ole Miss (Austin, Texas)
No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Missouri (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Second-Round Games

(Projections and winners of matchups using highest-rated seeds. Second-round games are scheduled to be played at bowl sites in 2024-25.)


No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama (Peach Bowl)
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 7 Texas (Rose Bowl)
No. 3 Washington vs. No. 6 Oregon (Fiesta Bowl)
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 5 Ohio State (Sugar Bowl)


Go Gophers!!
 

This really tells me a 12 team playoff is stupid if there aren’t 7-8 auto bids.

If they were going to do 5 or 6 auto bids, 8 would’ve been a better numbers.

Expanded auto bids enhances the regular season
Expanded at large bids destroy the regular season and conference championship games.
 

I wouldn't be too certain about projecting Washington the PAC champion. Oregon is probably the more complete team!
 

Why is the Peach hosting a 2nd round game instead of the Orange?

Practically/logistically it makes more since in ATL than MIA, don’t get me wrong. But then it should be Cotton (DFW) over Sugar if we’re throwing tradition/seniority out the window.
 

Why is the Peach hosting a 2nd round game instead of the Orange?

Practically/logistically it makes more since in ATL than MIA, don’t get me wrong. But then it should be Cotton (DFW) over Sugar if we’re throwing tradition/seniority out the window.
99% sure it is a contractually negotiated rotation
 


This really tells me a 12 team playoff is stupid if there aren’t 7-8 auto bids.

If they were going to do 5 or 6 auto bids, 8 would’ve been a better numbers.

Expanded auto bids enhances the regular season
Expanded at large bids destroy the regular season and conference championship games.
I'll say what I say every time this is discussed. All FBS conference champions should have an auto-bid, just like EVERY OTHER LEVEL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
 

Nope. No other sport and sub-division has bowls.

It’s a unique pos-season that supersedes NCAA postseason tournaments with autobids.

That’s just fine
 

5 of those 12 are B1G teams in 2024. Just an observation, the conference as a whole is really benefiting from Washington and Oregon joining, at least from a conference strength standpoint.

I count 5 being in the SEC starting next year (I think?) as well. This playoff is very quickly turning into the B1G vs the SEC with 2 other teams from other conferences.
 

Anyone could project this year. Show some stones and project next year. I will log it and praise you or rag on you as needed.
 



You really get a sense of how stupid the 12-team playoff idea always was when you look at this. Tulane @ Ohio State? Why?

And with two super conferences, 2 major conferences, and 5 minor FBS conferences, and one 2-team conference it makes even less sense to have automatic qualifiers.

A 6-team playoff, with the 2 quarterfinal games played at the home stadium of the #3 and #4 teams is more than enough to determine a champion.
 

I'll say what I say every time this is discussed. All FBS conference champions should have an auto-bid, just like EVERY OTHER LEVEL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
Ridiculous take.

Why wouldn’t the Big Sky and Mo Valley just move up to FBS then?

Why would OR State and WA State ever agree to leave the PAC 2?

G5 conference championships have zero relevance to major college football.
 

You really get a sense of how stupid the 12-team playoff idea always was when you look at this. Tulane @ Ohio State? Why?

And with two super conferences, 2 major conferences, and 5 minor FBS conferences, and one 2-team conference it makes even less sense to have automatic qualifiers.

A 6-team playoff, with the 2 quarterfinal games played at the home stadium of the #3 and #4 teams is more than enough to determine a champion.
No more ridiculous than Georgia Bama a second time or Michigan vs penn state a second time.
 

I'll say what I say every time this is discussed. All FBS conference champions should have an auto-bid, just like EVERY OTHER LEVEL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
If you wanted to determine a true champion every year
+
Increase the value of more regular season games

A 12 team playoff where all 9 conference champions get auto bids are the answer.
You could even add a stipulation that a conference champ loses its auto bid if it has 3+ losses or is outside the top 25 or something.
 



Ridiculous take.

Why wouldn’t the Big Sky and Mo Valley just move up to FBS then?

Why would OR State and WA State ever agree to leave the PAC 2?

G5 conference championships have zero relevance to major college football.
1. Money. Do they have the resources to move up?

2. I think there would have to be a rule relating to the number of teams in a conference for an auto-bid. Also, tell Notre Dame to suck it up and join a conference. No more special treatment.

3. FCS has 24 teams in their tournament. D2 has 28. D3 has 32. All champions get auto bids except the Ivy, SWAC and MEAC, but that's by their own choosing. Even the UMAC and Pioneer in D3 and FCS respectively.

There is no reason FBS level can't run a real tournament.
 


The plus-1 was fine.
The plus 1 was going to be fine 98% of the time.

If Alabama beats Georgia.
Washington wins.
Florida state wins.
Michigan wins.
Texas Wins.

SEC is left out
OR
unbeaten Florida state is left out
OR
Texas is left out for Bama even though they beat Bama.





Even this year (and maybe even in next years 12 team model) an unbeaten team isn’t even being discussed for a spot. That’s stupid.
You can disagree that the G5 and power 5(4) play in the same level. But they do.
The plus one is too small this year to include all the unbeaten teams. The 12 team model is too small to include all the unbeaten teams this year too.
 

The rule should be 2 teams at most can be in from any conference. At some point a 30 team playoff will just be SEC, Big ten.
 




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