The committee has spoken. Based on Tuesday night’s newest College Football Playoff rankings, Alabama, not Miami, is in line for the final Playoff at-large berth and No. 11 seed that comes with it. That is, unless Clemson wins the ACC Championship Game on Saturday and steals the last slot. For our purposes, though, we’re assuming SMU beats the Tigers.
The result: A first-round game between No. 6 seed Notre Dame and No. 11 seed Alabama in South Bend. Pretty cool.
It’s difficult to say how conference title game results will impact the final seedings. The losers could stay where they are or fall a bit, depending on how they perform. We are predicting Texas loses a close game to Georgia and only drops from No. 2 to No. 3 in the rankings, while Penn State gets blown out by Oregon and falls from No. 3 to No. 6, one spot below Ohio State due to a head-to-head loss.
Their seedings would then be:
No. 5 Texas
No. 6 Notre Dame
No. 7 Ohio State
No. 8 Penn State
Friendly reminders: 1) Most non-CFP bowls do not have to select teams in order of conference standings. 2) Legacy Pac-12 teams will participate in the league’s bowl lineup this year and in 2025, not the lineups of their current leagues.
Teams shaded in blue in the tables indicate the official matchup.
| Bowl/Playoff | Date | Team | Team | Location | Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Playoff
|
Dec. 20
|
8. Penn State
|
9. Tennessee
|
State College, Pa.
|
8 p.m.
|
ABC/ESPN
|
|
Playoff
|
Dec. 21
|
5. Texas
|
12. Arizona St (Big 12 champ)
|
Austin, Texas
|
Noon
|
TNT
|
|
Playoff
|
Dec. 21
|
7. Ohio State
|
10. Indiana
|
Columbus, Ohio
|
3:30 p.m.
|
TNT
|
|
Playoff
|
Dec. 21
|
6. Notre Dame
|
11. Alabama
|
South Bend, Ind.
|
8 p.m.
|
ABC/ESPN
|
|
Fiesta
|
Dec. 31
|
4. Boise State (G5 champ)
|
Texas/Arizona State winer
|
Glendale, Ariz.
|
7:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Peach
|
Jan. 1
|
3. SMU (ACC champ)
|
Notre Dame/Alabama winner
|
Atlanta
|
Noon
|
ESPN
|
|
Rose
|
Jan. 1
|
1. Oregon (Big Ten champ)
|
Penn State/Tennessee winner
|
Pasadena, Calif.
|
5 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Sugar
|
Jan. 1
|
2. Georgia (SEC champ)
|
Ohio State/Indiana winner
|
New Orleans
|
8:45 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Orange
|
Jan. 9
|
Quarterfinal winner
|
Quarterfinal winner
|
Miami, Fla.
|
7:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Cotton
|
Jan. 10
|
Quarterfinal winner
|
Quarterfinal winner
|
Arlington, Texas
|
7:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Championship
|
Jan. 20
|
Semifinal winner
|
Semifinal winner
|
Atlanta
|
7:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
| Bowl | Date | Team | Team | Location | Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bahamas
|
Jan. 4
|
Buffalo (MAC)
|
Liberty (C-USA)
|
Nassau, Bahamas
|
11 a.m.
|
ESPN2
|
|
Duke's Mayo
|
Jan. 3
|
Minnesota (Big Ten 6)
|
Duke (ACC 5-7)
|
Charlotte, N.C.
|
7:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
First Responder
|
Jan. 3
|
North Texas (ESPN)
|
Bowling Green (ESPN)
|
University Park, Texas
|
4 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Gator
|
Jan. 2
|
Syracuse (ACC 2-4)
|
Missouri (SEC 3-8)
|
Jacksonville, Fla.
|
7:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Texas
|
Dec. 31
|
Baylor (Big 12 4)
|
LSU (SEC 3-8)
|
Houston
|
3:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Citrus
|
Dec. 31
|
Illinois (Big Ten 2)
|
South Carolina (SEC 2)
|
Orlando, Fla.
|
3 p.m.
|
ABC
|
|
Sun
|
Dec. 31
|
Louisville (ACC 5-7)
|
Washington (Pac-12 5)
|
El Paso, Texas
|
2 p.m.
|
CBS
|
|
ReliaQuest
|
Dec. 31
|
Iowa (Big Ten 3)
|
Florida (SEC 3-8)
|
Tampa, Fla.
|
Noon
|
ESPN
|
|
Music City
|
Dec. 30
|
Nebraska (Big Ten 4)
|
Ole Miss (SEC 3-8)
|
Nashville, Tenn.
|
2:30 p.m.
|
ABC
|
|
Independence
|
Dec. 28
|
Army (AAC)
|
North Carolina* (Pac-12 7)
|
Shreveport, La.
|
9:15 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Alamo
|
Dec. 28
|
BYU (BIg 12 2)
|
Colorado (Pac-12 2)
|
San Antonio, Texas
|
9:15 p.m.
|
ABC
|
|
Military
|
Dec. 28
|
East Carolina (AAC 2)
|
Pittsburgh (ACC)
|
Annapolis, Md.
|
5:45 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Arizona
|
Dec. 30
|
Colorado State (MWC)
|
Miami of Ohio (MAC)
|
Tucson, Ariz.
|
4:30 p.m.
|
CW
|
|
Pop-Tarts
|
Dec. 28
|
Iowa State (Big 12 3)
|
Miami (ACC 2-4)
|
Orlando, Fla.
|
3:30 p.m.
|
ABC
|
|
New Mexico
|
Dec. 28
|
Ohio* (MWC)
|
Texas State (ESPN)
|
Albuquerque, N.M.
|
2:15 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Pinstripe
|
Dec. 28
|
Michigan (Big Ten 5)
|
Boston College (ACC 5-7)
|
Bronx, N.Y.
|
Noon
|
ABC
|
|
Fenway
|
Dec. 28
|
Virginia Tech (ACC)
|
UConn (ESPN)
|
Boston
|
11 a.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Vegas
|
Dec. 27
|
USC (Pac-12 4)
|
Texas A&M (SEC 3-8)
|
Las Vegas, Nev.
|
10:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Holiday
|
Dec. 27
|
Clemson (ACC 2-4)
|
Washington State (Pac-12 3)
|
San Diego, Calif.
|
8 p.m.
|
FOX
|
|
Liberty
|
Dec. 27
|
Kansas State (Big 12 5)
|
Oklahoma (SEC 3-8)
|
Memphis, Tenn.
|
7 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Birmingham
|
Dec. 27
|
Vanderbilt (SEC 9)
|
Georgia Tech (ESPN)
|
Birmingham, Ala.
|
12/3:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Armed Forces
|
Dec. 27
|
TCU (Big 12 7)
|
Navy (ESPN)
|
Fort Worth, Texas
|
12/3:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
68 Ventures
|
Dec. 26
|
Georgia Southern (Sun Belt)
|
Western Kentucky (C-USA)
|
Mobile, Ala.
|
9 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Rate
|
Dec. 26
|
Rutgers (Big Ten 7)
|
Texas Tech (Big 12 6)
|
Phoenix, Ariz.
|
5:45 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
GameAbove
|
Dec. 26
|
Arkansas State (Big Ten 8)*
|
Toledo (MAC)
|
Detroit
|
2 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Hawaii
|
Dec. 24
|
San Jose State (MWC)
|
USF (ESPN)
|
Honolulu, Hawaii
|
8 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Idaho Potato
|
Dec. 23
|
Fresno State (MWC)
|
NIU (MAC)
|
Boise, Idaho
|
2:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Myrtle Beach
|
Dec. 23
|
Coastal Carolina (ESPN)
|
UTSA (ESPN)
|
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
|
11 a.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Gasparilla
|
Dec. 20
|
Tulane (ESPN)
|
Arkansas (ESPN)
|
Tampa, Fla.
|
3:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Cure
|
Dec. 20
|
Jacksonville State (ESPN)
|
Marshall (ESPN)
|
Orlando, Fla.
|
Noon
|
ESPN
|
|
New Orleans
|
Dec. 19
|
Louisiana (Sun Belt)
|
Sam Houston (C-USA)
|
New Orleans
|
7 p.m.
|
ESPN2
|
|
LA Bowl
|
Dec. 18
|
California (Pac-12 6)
|
UNLV (MWC 1)
|
Inglewood, Calif.
|
9 p.m.
|
ABC
|
|
Boca Raton
|
Dec. 18
|
NC State (ESPN)
|
James Madison (ESPN)
|
Boca Raton, Fla.
|
5:30 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Frisco
|
Dec. 17
|
Memphis (ESPN)
|
West Virginia (ESPN)
|
Frisco, Texas
|
9 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
|
Salute to Veterans
|
Dec. 14
|
South Alabama (ESPN)
|
Western Michigan (ESPN)
|
Montgomery, Ala.
|
9 p.m.
|
ESPN
|
Notes: (ESPN) indicates an ESPN Events bowl. Teams can be moved between them. An asterisk (*) indicates a replacement team because a league was not able to fill all of its slots.
(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic, Photos: Don Juan Moore / Getty)
