CFP Playoff Bracket, Scenarios and Bowl Projections After 2025-26 Week 12 AP Rankings
The Week 12 AP Top 25 was more about how far teams dropped than position gained by the top teams in the country.
The BYU Cougars only fell four positions from No. 8 to No. 12 following their 22-point defeat at the hands of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
While BYU's chances of earning an at-large spot in the College Football Playoff are still alive, the Virginia Cavaliers and Louisville Cardinals need to win the ACC Championship Game to make the 12-team field.
Louisville dropped five spots to No. 19, while Virginia tumbled eight positions to No. 20.
The other big development from the Week 12 AP poll was the order of the top Group of Five teams. The James Madison Dukes are one spot ahead of the South Florida Bulls, but that order can change in the coming weeks.
BYU Only Falls Four Spots
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BYU's position in the AP poll was not affected much by the blowout defeat to Texas Tech.
The Cougars checked in at No. 12, which gives them a chance to still make the playoff field as an at-large.
BYU needs to win out in the Big 12 regular season, including a November 22 trip to face the Cincinnati Bearcats, to set up a rematch against Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game.
A handful of teams in front of BYU in the rankings, like the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners, could possibly lose over the next few weeks, which would open the door for BYU to get into the field, even as a two-loss team.
There's a possibility that a close loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game could get 10-2 BYU into the playoff field if things break the Cougars' way.
The most important thing for now, though, is that BYU did not tumble so far down the rankings that a playoff berth was completely out of question with one defeat.
Georgia Tech Re-Enters Playoff Conversation
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were one of the biggest winners of Week 11.
Haynes King and Co. elevated two spots and earned a clear path to the ACC Championship Game due to the losses suffered by Virginia and Louisville.
Georgia Tech needs to beat the Boston College Eagles and Pittsburgh Panthers in the next two weeks to finish at 7-1 in the ACC.
After that, Georgia Tech has an opportunity to knock off the Georgia Bulldogs on Thanksgiving weekend. A 3-0 finish would allow Georgia Tech to likely finish inside the top 10 and potentially enter the playoff as an at-large team if it loses in the ACC Championship Game.
There's plenty of opportunities for other ACC teams to make the playoff, but if Georgia Tech wins out, it will absolutely reside in the 12-team field.
South Florida, James Madison Lead Hunt For Group of Five Berth
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Two Group of Five teams are in the Week 12 AP poll.
James Madison moved into the rankings at No. 24, while South Florida is one spot behind at No. 25.
JMU is the front-runner in the Sun Belt and will be expected to win the rest of its games.
South Florida is the only ranked team from a crowded group of contenders in the American Athletic Conference.
The Bulls own a much better set of victories than the Dukes with wins over the Boise State Broncos and Florida Gators.
USF has one more loss than JMU, but one of the defeats came against the Miami Hurricanes, who at the time were the No. 5 team in the country.
JMU's lone defeat is to Louisville, but the Dukes have the disadvantage of playing in a less competitive league than USF.
The real indicator of which team is favored for the G5 berth will come on Tuesday when the CFB Playoff selection committee releases its latest rankings.
