Bowl Projections 2024-25: Playoff Bracket Predictions, Scenarios Post-Week 14 AP Poll
The first clue as to how the College Football Playoff rankings will set up came from Sunday's AP Top 25.
The Indiana Hoosiers dropped to No. 10 behind the SMU Mustangs, Tennessee Volunteers and Georgia Bulldogs.
Tennessee and Georgia, who entered in Week 12 in not-so-great spots, are now Nos, 6 and 7 in the AP poll and appear to be safe to get into the playoff.
Saturday's biggest losers were the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ole Miss Rebels, both of whom dropped six positions in the AP poll.
Alabama and Ole Miss are likely out of the 12-team playoff with three losses, but there's still a chance that a three-loss team makes the field if that squad loses on conference championship weekend.
Indiana Should Be Safe to Land At-Large Bid
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Indiana's drop from No. 5 to No. 10 is a positive sign for its playoff hopes.
The Hoosiers still have to wait until Tuesday to see where they land in the CFB Playoff rankings, but at least for now, they should feel safe about their at-large prospects.
The losses suffered by Alabama and Ole Miss provided Indiana with some needed cushion to land at No. 10 after its 38-15 loss to Ohio State.
Indiana needs help to reach the Big Ten Championship Game, so at minimum, it has to blow out the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.
The Hoosiers should win that game comfortably by 20-30 points, just like other top teams in the Big Ten have done against Purdue.
An 11-1 Indiana team should qualify for the playoff, but the Hoosiers will likely have to hit the road in the first round because of where they stand in the rankings.
Georgia Resides in Interesting Spot as SEC Championship Game Participant
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All of Saturday's results placed Georgia into an interesting spot.
The Bulldogs, who are 6-2 in SEC play, clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game after the losses by Alabama and Ole Miss.
Georgia will play the winner of Saturday's clash between the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies in Atlanta in two weeks.
Kirby Smart's team is expected to enter that game with two overall losses, but if it loses in Atlanta, a difficult evaluation will pop up for the CFB Playoff selection committee.
The committee would have to decide if it wants to put a three-loss team into the playoff bracket if UGA loses.
The answer to that question would likely be yes because UGA has a pair of top-10 wins over Texas and Tennessee already.
The situation might be different if UGA had a resume similar to Indiana's, but even with three losses, the Bulldogs should be safe given the current landscape.
ACC In Better Shape To Be Multi-Bid League After Week 13 Chaos
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The ACC was one of Saturday's biggest winners as well.
The Miami Hurricanes and SMU Mustangs checked in at Nos. 8 and 9 in the AP poll and the Clemson Tigers surged up to No. 12.
SMU is already into the ACC Championship Game, while Miami is in with a Week 14 win. Clemson reaches the ACC title game with a win and a Miami loss.
If Miami-SMU is the matchup, the ACC could get two teams into the playoff, especially if the ACC title game is a close matchup.
Clemson probably still needs to win the ACC title game to get into the playoff, but it is worth noting it has a chance to pick up a quality win over the 16th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.
A win in that game would leave the Tigers at 10-2, and as we saw with Week 13's chaos, there is always a chance that some top 10 teams fall.
SMU and Miami are still the ACC's best shots to reach the playoff, but given Clemson's spot at No. 12 in the AP poll, the Tigers at least have to be mentioned in the at-large conversation.
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