College Football Playoff 2021: Breaking Down Format, Bowl Predictions and More

Alabama is the defending national champion and has made the College Football Playoff six times, tied for the most of any program in the country. However, it's quite possible it won't have an opportunity to compete for the title this season.

Entering conference championship weekend, the Crimson Tide are at No. 3 in the CFP rankings, but they are set to play No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday. If they lose, it'll be their second loss of the year. And no two-loss team has reached the CFP since it was introduced in 2014.

So, Alabama may be playing to extend its season, but it's going to be a challenge. Georgia is 12-0 and has completely dominated its opponents throughout the year.

No matter how things shake out, the College Football Playoff field will be set on Sunday. Here's everything you need to know about the CFP format, along with predictions for this year's four-team bracket.

College Football Playoff Format

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While there's been a lot of buzz about potential expansion for the future, the College Football Playoff has featured only four teams since it was implemented for the 2014 season. The CFP selection committee decides the most deserving schools that will battle it out for the national championship each year.

The four teams then face off in a pair of semifinal matchups. These games are two of the six New Year's Six bowls, and they get rotated through, with each of those bowls getting to host a CFP game every three years.

This year, the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl are the games that will be CFP semifinal matchups. These contests will both take place on Dec. 31, one of which will be the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 4 seed and the other featuring the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds.

The winners of the semifinals will then meet in the CFP National Championship Game, which is set for Jan. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. It will be the first time that the game has taken place in the city.

Orange Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Oklahoma State

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Georgia has to do one thing to secure the No. 1 seed in the CFP: Beat Alabama on Saturday.

Even if the Bulldogs lose the SEC Championship Game, they could still make the playoff, considering how well they've played the majority of the season and the fact that they'd still have only one loss. But they're going to need to take down the Crimson Tide to secure the top seed.

Alabama has won its past six meetings with Georgia, which hasn't defeated the Crimson Tide since 2007. But this should be the Bulldogs' best chance since then, considering how dominant their defense has been. It ranks first in the country in points (6.92) and total yards allowed (230.8) per game.

While Alabama's offense may be more difficult to stop—especially because it's led by quarterback Bryce Young, a Heisman Trophy front-runner—Georgia's defense will pose a challenge. It was just last week that the Tide were shut down by Auburn's defense for nearly four full quarters before rallying from behind for a four-overtime victory.

It should be an entertaining battle for the SEC title, but Georgia is at a different level than it's been in recent years. Expect the Bulldogs to take down the Crimson Tide and remain at the top for the final CFP rankings.

With Alabama losing, that will open the door for a team currently ranked outside of the top four to capture a CFP berth. The most likely beneficiary is Oklahoma State, which is ranked at No. 5 heading into its Big 12 Championship matchup against Baylor.

The Cowboys are 11-1 and have won straight games following their impressive victory over rival Oklahoma last weekend. Oklahoma State already beat Baylor once this season (a 24-14 victory on Oct. 2), and if it can do that again, it could reach the CFP for the first time in program history.

Baylor should keep things close, but Oklahoma State will get the job done, knowing how much could be on the line. And that will earn the Cowboys a semifinal matchup against Georgia on New Year's Eve.

Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Cincinnati

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Michigan and Cincinnati both have fairly simple paths to the College Football Playoff. The No. 2 Wolverines and the No. 4 Bearcats likely just need to win their respective conference championship games on Saturday, and they should both get into the CFP for the first time.

Before last weekend, it seemed unlikely Michigan would be in this position. In order to get here, it had to beat Ohio State, which was the front-runner to win the Big Ten championship and get into the playoff by doing so.

However, the Wolverines notched the biggest win of the Jim Harbaugh era last Saturday, knocking off the Buckeyes in a 42-27 victory. That moved Michigan to No. 2 in the CFP rankings and sent the team to the Big Ten Championship Game.

Now, Michigan will face Iowa for the Big Ten title. And while the Hawkeyes are a solid team, they've already lost twice this year (to Purdue and Wisconsin) and it would be a surprise to see them topple the Wolverines. It's more likely Michigan wins handily to clinch its spot in the CFP.

As for Cincinnati, it has an opportunity to become the first Group of Five team to reach the CFP in the history of the format. Teams from those conferences typically don't play as difficult of schedules, but the Bearcats have proved they belong to be in the playoff conversation.

Entering Saturday's AAC Championship Game, Cincinnati is 12-0 and has dominated most of the opponents on its schedule. It also owns an impressive road victory over Notre Dame, which is at No. 6 in the rankings.

Now, Cincinnati just needs to defeat Houston to capture the AAC title. And there's a good chance that the Bearcats will do so in convincing fashion. That should move them up to No. 3, setting them up for a semifinal matchup with Michigan.