College Football Playoff Bracket Projections and Predictions after Week 12

If you looked only at a list of wins and losses in Week 12, you would probably think it was a pretty easy Saturday around college football.

The expected results included some interesting paths, though.

Oklahoma made a statement with a road victory at Alabama, and Navy upended the American with a win over South Florida. Otherwise, though, it was a busy weekend of comeback and late escapes for teams such as Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, USC, and Michigan.

So, our College Football Playoff projections haven't changed much, but there are plenty of nerves tapering off after this hectic weekend.

The projections for the CFP are based on the latest B/R Top 25, which both recent results have shaped and upcoming games will change.

Key Results in Week 12

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John Mateer

Navy 41, South Florida 38
East Carolina 31, Memphis 27

While the messy American standings are a little clearer today, this conference is still very undecided. Navy upset South Florida, which remains in the league hunt but would need a ton of help. Instead, thanks to East Carolina toppling Memphis, the American has four programs with one conference loss vying for a trip to the title game: ECU, Navy, North Texas and Tulane.

Oklahoma 23, Alabama 21

This was a huge result for Oklahoma. Had the Sooners lost, they presumably would have exited the CFP picture. Instead, OU needs to beat Missouri and LSU—both at home in Norman—to lock up a Playoff bid. Alabama is still safe, though the finale at rival Auburn now is a must-win matchup for the Tide.

Georgia 35, Texas 10
Ole Miss 34, Florida 24

Georgia, meanwhile, likely put itself into the Playoff with a dominant win against Texas. Gunner Stockton threw four scores in that victory, and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy nearly matched him with three touchdowns on the ground. The Rebels should be a lock for the CFP, as well.

B/R's Top 25 After Week 12

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Marcel Reed and Rueben Owens II

B/R Top 25

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Georgia
5. Oregon
6. Texas Tech
7. Ole Miss
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. BYU
12. Georgia Tech
13. Vanderbilt
14. Michigan
15. Utah
16. USC
17. Miami
18. Virginia
19. Texas
20. North Texas
21. Missouri
22. James Madison
23. Tennessee
24. Houston
25. SMU

Post-Week 12 CFP Picture

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Kewan Lacy

Bracket Format

Automatic bids: The highest-ranked team within five conferences. (Ultimately, the league champion will receive an auto-bid.)

Ohio State (No. 1, Big Ten)

Texas A&M (No. 3, SEC)

Texas Tech (No. 6, Big 12)

Georgia Tech (No. 12, ACC)

North Texas (No. 20, American)

At-large bids: The next seven highest-ranked teams in the country.

Indiana (No. 2)

Georgia (No. 4)

Oregon (No. 5)

Ole Miss (No. 7)

Oklahoma (No. 8)

Notre Dame (No. 9)

Alabama (No. 10)

Rankings are based on latest B/R Top 25.

All Hail the Great State of Indiana

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Never take a game for granted. We know that, but any number of close calls—Georgia Tech at Boston College, for example—are great reminders.

Still, the Hoosier State is sitting pretty right now.

Indiana rolled to a 31-7 victory over Wisconsin thanks to Fernando Mendoza, who completed 22-of-24 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns. The Hoosiers have effectively clinched a CFP berth at 11-0 and only a trip to 2-9 Purdue left.

Also, Notre Dame dropped the hammer on No. 22 Pitt in Week 12, winning 37-15 on the road behind yet another great all-around performance. The triumph pushed the Irish to 8-2 with remaining games against Syracuse and Stanford, which together have dropped nine straight outings.

Last season, ND hosted Indiana in the first-ever 12-team Playoff game. This year, it appears both programs will be returning to the CFP.

Impact Games in Week 13

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Dante Moore

ACC: Pitt at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech needed a last-minute drive to survive Boston College in Week 12 but made it happen. That was a clutch—even if unexpected—moment for the Yellow Jackets, who host a feisty yet flawed Pitt squad in a matchup with major implications for the conference title game. Both currently have one-loss ACC records.

Big 12: BYU at Cincinnati
SEC: Missouri at Oklahoma

Heading into Week 12, Oklahoma (11th) and BYU (12th) stood at the fringe of the CFP bracket. Oklahoma's upset of Alabama should send the Sooners into the projected field, but falling to Missouri would likely eliminate OU. The same applies to BYU, which has a single marquee win—over Utah—on its résumé.

Big Ten: USC at Oregon

As a victory would not necessarily vault USC into the projected bracket, a win would not seal Oregon's spot in the CFP field. In either case, though, a loss will be extremely problematic. USC would fall to a three-loss record, and Oregon hasn't exactly aced the eye test since October began.