College Football Playoff 2023: Breaking Down Format, Bowl Predictions and More

The college football regular season wraps up this weekend with a slew of championship games that will ultimately determine which four teams will compete in the College Football Playoff.

What format does the playoff follow and which teams can you expect to compete in the semifinals, with a shot at the College Football Playoff National Championship on the line?

Find out with this look at one of the most exciting periods in sports.

College Football Playoff Format

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INGLEWOOD, CA - JANUARY 09: The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy sits on the field before the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the TCU Horned Frogs held at SoFi Stadium on January 9, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)

The four highest-ranked teams in college football, as determined by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, will compete in the 2023 College Football Playoff.

The No. 1 seed will square off with the No. 4 seed while the No. 2 and 3 seeds will clash in the Sugar and Rose Bowls, respectively. The games take place in neutral sites.

The winner of those games will compete in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Sugar Bowl Prediction: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Oregon

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 25: Kendall Milton #2 of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts following a touchdown during the third quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Georgia Bulldogs are two-time defending national champions but their road back to the College Football Playoffs will not be easy, thanks to a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship.

As ESPN's Peter Burns pointed out, Nick Saban and the Tide are remarkably good in this particular title game, in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Previous stats aside, the Bulldogs have been the best team in college football all season. They have not always played pretty, but they win and with history within reach in the form of a rare three-peat, expect them to pull out their best game of the season and knock off an Alabama team that may be desperate to extend its dynasty but look to be a year away from truly contending for the title.

Oregon's place in the playoffs is dependent upon a Pac-12 Championship victory over the Washington Huskies, the only team to hang a loss on the Ducks in 2023.

Nix has been sacked only five times this season, and the Huskies are not a team that effectively applies pressure, meaning the fifth-year senior will have plenty of time to find his receivers.

Despite this, the Huskies won the first meeting, forcing the Ducks into three fourth-down plays that they failed to convert in that first go-round. Led by another Heisman candidate, quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the team is a never-say-die squad that constantly competes and finds ways to win.

Unfortunately, their storybook season will suffer a major blow when Oregon avenges that first loss and jumps into the playoff picture, with a daunting match-up against the top-seeded Bulldogs awaiting them.

Rose Bowl Prediction: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Florida State

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ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 25: Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Roman Wilson (1) celebrates after his touchdown catch was reviewed and confirmed during a regular season Big Ten Conference college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines on November 25, 2023 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Michigan Wolverines appear to be the safest bet to make the College Football Playoffs of any of the contenders entering championship weekend.

The No. 2 seed will clash with the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Big 10 Championship in a game that will not nearly be as competitive as one would hope.

Iowa simply does not have the offense to hang with the Wolverines. It is even more dire for the Hawkeyes when you realize they are the 130th-ranked offense in the nation, with just 246.3 total yards per game.

Considering the Wolverines allow only 246.8 per game, it does not bode well for their opponent.

Expect a one-sided game that propels the Wolverines to the playoffs and, depending on what happens with Georgia and Alabama, could see them move up to the top spot.

Like Michigan, Florida State has exhibited elite defense all season and though they enter Saturday's ACC title game against Louisville without quarterback Jordan Travis, the team should be able to do just enough to halt the Cardinals and move onto their first playoff berth since 2014.

A game between the Wolverines and Seminoles would be a hard-hitting one, with some of the best defensive play we have seen all year, but Michigan is the closest thing to a legitimate threat to win the national title not-named Georgia.