College Football Playoff 2022: Breaking Down Format, Bowl Predictions and More

It's been a thrilling college football season. But now, it's really about to get exciting.

The regular season is over and conference championship weekend is approaching. This weekend, some of the top teams in the country will be competing for conference titles. And not only that, but those matchups will carry strong implications for upcoming bowl games.

Of course, that includes the College Football Playoff. Although there are four teams that control their own CFP destiny (Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC), a minor shakeup could still occur. That's most likely to happen if the Trojans lose the Pac-12 Championship Game, which would give another team a clear opportunity to seize a Playoff berth.

The College Football Playoff field will be finalized on Sunday. Here's everything you need to know for the CFP, including projections for this season's two semifinal matchups.

College Football Playoff Format

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LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 19: CFP logo helmet during the College Football Playoff press conference and media roundtable on November 19, 2022, at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The College Football Playoff is going to expand, but not quite yet. Although the CFP will include 12 teams beginning in the 2024 season (according to a recent report by ESPN's Pete Thamel), the Playoff field will still feature only four teams this season.

The Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl are the two New Year's Six bowls serving as CFP semifinal matchups this season. If Georgia ends up as the No. 1 seed (which is highly likely), then it should be heading to the Peach Bowl, which is held in Atlanta.

The semifinal games will both take place on Dec. 31. Then, the winners will advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, which is set for Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Once the CFP expands in 2024, the format will get a bit more complex. But for now, the national champion will continue to get decided with a simple four-team bracket.

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

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ATHENS, GA - NOVEMBER 26: Stetson Bennett #13 reacts with Jack Podlesny #96 of the Georgia Bulldogs in the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Sanford Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

A battle between Georgia's defense, which is one of the best units in the country, and USC's offense, led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Caleb Williams? It should be a great matchup. And it's quite possible that's what we'll get to see in the Peach Bowl.

The Bulldogs are a huge favorite over LSU in the SEC Championship Game, and for good reason. Georgia is the defending national champion and went 12-0 during the regular season, taking down every talented conference opponent that stood in its way.

LSU is a three-loss team that dropped its regular-season finale at Texas A&M. Even if the Tigers keep things close early on Saturday, the Bulldogs should prevail with ease.

As for USC, it faces a greater challenge in its conference title matchup. The Trojans are taking on Utah on Friday night, and the Utes were the only team that handed them a loss during the regular season.

Utah may be 9-3, but its 43-42 victory over USC on Oct. 15 was quite impressive. When these two teams meet again in the Pac-12 Championship Game, it should be another tight contest.

But the Trojans have been on a roll, as they closed out the regular season with impressive wins over UCLA and Notre Dame. Plus, they have more at stake. Utah isn't going to make the CFP; USC has to win or else it's not heading to the College Football Playoff, either.

It's also possible the Trojans win and move up from the No. 4 seed, if any of Georgia, Michigan or TCU lose. But the prediction here is that USC will be the last team into the CFP field, and it will have to go into a hostile environment in Atlanta trying to become the first team to beat the Bulldogs in more than a year.

Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 TCU

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COLUMBUS, OHIO - NOVEMBER 26: Rod Moore #19 of the Michigan Wolverines walks onto the field with his team before a college football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

Like Georgia, Michigan and TCU both have the opportunity to be undefeated conference champions that make the College Football Playoff. And just like the Bulldogs, the Wolverines and Horned Frogs should both get it done on Saturday.

Michigan shouldn't be tested much in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Wolverines' biggest matchup of the season came in the regular-season finale, in which they rolled to a 45-23 win at Ohio State, likely preventing the Buckeyes from reaching the CFP.

Now, Michigan will take on Purdue, which has already lost four games this season. It shouldn't be competitive, and the Wolverines should dominate their way to the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff.

TCU has a more challenging task, as it will take on Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Horned Frogs already beat the Wildcats 38-28 on Oct. 22. But Kansas State had an 18-point advantage in the second quarter of that contest before blowing its lead and losing.

So the Wildcats are capable of giving the Horned Frogs a close game, and they likely will. But TCU has found ways to win every time it's been in that type of situation this season.

Kansas State is trying to play the role of spoiler, but it will be unsuccessful. TCU will win the Big 12 title to secure its first appearance in the CFP, and then it will have to start preparing for an even more challenging matchup against Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl.