Bowl Projections 2022: CFP Predictions After Latest Playoff Rankings

After 10 weeks of the 2022 college football campaign, four undefeated FBS teams remain: Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and TCU. And if the season ended today, those four schools would be in the College Football Playoff.

But the season isn't over today. So there's still time for some major shakeups over the next four weeks, as there are quite a few marquee matchups on the upcoming schedule.

One of those highly anticipated games took place this past weekend. Georgia and Tennessee were both ranked in the top three in the first CFP rankings. Then, the Bulldogs took down the Vols for a 27-13 home win.

Georgia moved up from No. 3 to No. 1 in the CFP rankings, while Tennessee dropped from the top spot to No. 5, which is the first position out of a playoff berth. There could be more movement depending on how these two SEC programs (and the country's other top teams) fare the rest of the way.

For now, here's a look at predictions for this year's College Football Playoff field, along with a breakdown of the CFP picture.

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College Football Playoff Predictions

Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Tennessee

Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 TCU

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Where's Michigan in this predicted CFP field, some might ask? Well, the Wolverines don't have an easy path to a second consecutive playoff berth. And that's because they'll need to get through Ohio State.

One of the biggest games of the season will take place on Nov. 26, when Ohio State hosts Michigan in its regular-season finale. The winner is likely to finish first in the Big Ten West and then go on to capture the conference championship (and the CFP berth that should come with it).

The Buckeyes appear to be the better of the two teams. The Wolverines will likely have trouble trying to stop junior quarterback C.J. Stroud, who is one of the Heisman Trophy front-runners. And while Michigan junior running back Blake Corum is having a tremendous season, he may not fare quite as well against Ohio State's defensive front.

So, let's assume Georgia, Ohio State and TCU all go undefeated and win their respective conference titles. It's not a certainty, but the Bulldogs should have no trouble, the Buckeyes will just need to beat Michigan, and the Horned Frogs have already navigated a challenging Big 12 schedule.

At that point, the CFP selection committee could be trying to decide between Tennessee and Michigan. Both teams would have only one loss, and neither will have made it to a conference championship game. (This is also assuming that the Pac-12 champion doesn't end up with a better resume.)

If this is the situation, then the Vols should have the edge over the Wolverines. Even though Tennessee couldn't win at Georgia, it played a competitive game and lost by only 14 points in a hostile environment against the defending national champions.

Plus, the Vols have picked up some impressive wins along the way, defeating quality opponents such as No. 7 LSU, No. 9 Alabama, No. 24 Kentucky and Pittsburgh.

It shouldn't be much of a challenge for Tennessee to finish 11-1, though, as its final three regular-season games are against Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. So the Vols should roll through that trio of matchups.

Even if Michigan loses to Ohio State, it shouldn't drop lower than No. 5 or No. 6 in the CFP rankings. So the Wolverines will be in a prime position to capitalize if a team such as TCU stumbles down the stretch.

There's even a potential scenario in which the College Football Playoff features two SEC teams (Georgia and Tennessee) and two Big Ten teams (Ohio State and Michigan).

But for now, the prediction here is that TCU prevents that from happening. And the Horned Frogs will be well on their way to doing so if they can win at No. 18 Texas on the road on Saturday.

So the stakes are quite high for all these top teams the rest of the way. And if any of them unexpectedly struggle, it could open a window for schools that are outside of the playoff picture.