We’re just hours away from its announcement college football playoff Field. There is still a lot of drama left to play out on the field.
The committee gathered at its headquarters at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas to watch the conference championship game, which will influence their final rankings on Selection Day. This was only the beginning of conference championship weekend, but how these games unfold under the committee’s watch will determine their five highest-ranked conference champions – and how that order will impact the contenders around them.
We’re tracking all the conference title games and the impact on the CFP field, as well as the top plays and highlights from No. 1. Ohio State vs number 2 Indiana,
jump to: CFP Takeaway
conference title takeaway
With a win against Alabama, Georgia should clinch a top-four seed and a first-round bye, but that situation depends on how far the loser falls in the Big Ten Championship Game. It’s possible that Ohio State and Indiana flip — or stay at status quo — but if it’s a lopsided loss, Georgia could finish anywhere from No. 2 to No. 4.
The big question is how far Alabama has gone after its decisive third loss. If Alabama falls to 11th, it would open the door for both Notre Dame and Miami to finish in the top 10 – regardless of order. How Alabama loses – and the committee hasn’t forgotten the season-opening loss to Florida State – could knock the Crimson Tide off the field. The committee will also consider whether Alabama has wins in the regular season against the SEC champion. If Alabama moves down just one spot, it could still be a buffer between Miami and Notre Dame — and it could be the last at-large team at No. 10.
Texas Tech’s win against BYU clinched a top-four berth and a first-round bye for the Red Raiders. This also greatly helped Notre Dame’s playoff chances, as the Irish no longer had to worry about being jumped by BYU.
However, this puzzle is not yet complete.
For BYU it doesn’t matter whether the committee puts it at No. 11 or drops it to No. 12 (or beyond). Either way BYU will be eliminated during the seeding process to include a conference champion. However, where BYU ends up will impact Miami.
The selection committee is likely to do one of two things: drop No. 11 BYU behind Miami at No. 12, or keep it where it is. If BYU falls to the Canes, the committee may reconsider the tiebreaker between Miami and Notre Dame.
With Tulane’s win against North Texas on Friday, the American champions are guaranteed a playoff berth, as they will be the committee’s fourth-highest-ranked conference champion. The Green Wave will earn the No. 11 or No. 12 seed, depending on who wins the ACC Championship Game. If Tulane gets a No. 11 seed and faces the committee’s No. 6 team in the first round, as is currently the case, Tulane would get a rematch against Ole Miss. The Rebels defeated Tulane 45–10 on September 20 in Oxford, and will again have home field advantage as the higher seed.
With Friday’s win against Troy, JMUThe path to the playoff is straightforward: Duke needs to beat Virginia and win the ACC. If that happens, the committee will award the No. 12 seed to JMU as its fifth and final conference champion – and it will come at the expense of the ACC champion, who will be ousted. The question is whether the conference will be shut out entirely — or if No. 12 Miami will still quietly enter even without playing this weekend. That could happen if BYU loses to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game and falls behind Miami — putting the ‘Canes just below No. 10 Notre Dame. In that scenario, the committee could look at Miami’s season-opening win against the Irish as one of several tiebreakers used to separate comparable teams.
