Miami Holds Top Seed as Utah, Notre Dame Claim Playoff Spots
New AP Top 25 rankings shift the hypothetical College Football Playoff bracket, placing Kentucky as a first-round host and confirming four Southeastern Conference teams in the field.
By Samir Patterson ·
Miami holds the No. 1 seed in the hypothetical 12-team College Football Playoff bracket based on the Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday. The ranking places Georgia at No. 2, Utah at No. 3, and Notre Dame at No. 4. These four teams receive first-round byes under the current CFP format.
The top four positions shifted after Ohio State lost to Southern California and Indiana dropped two spots in the poll following an overtime win over Minnesota. Utah and Notre Dame moved into the upper tier, displacing previous contenders.
The bracket composition includes four teams from the Southeastern Conference, three from the Big Ten, two from the Big 12, and one each from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Pac-12. Notre Dame qualifies as an independent, while Boise State represents the Pac-12 as the top Group of Six champion. The five highest-ranked conference champions secure automatic bids, with the remaining seven spots filled by the next-highest ranked teams.
If the final rankings mirror the current AP poll, Kentucky would host the No. 9 seed, Alabama, in the first round. The winner of that matchup would face Miami. In another first-round game, the No. 12 seed Boise State would play at the No. 5 seed UCLA, with the victor facing Notre Dame.
Other first-round pairings include the No. 10 seed Texas visiting the No. 7 seed BYU, with the winner challenging Georgia. The No. 11 seed Ohio State would travel to the No. 6 seed Indiana, and the survivor of that contest would play Utah. Mississippi, Texas Tech, and Wake Forest are the first three teams outside the bracket, with Mississippi being bumped by Boise State despite its No. 12 AP ranking.
The initial CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night. The committee will update these rankings weekly until the final bracket is set on Dec. 6. First-round games are scheduled for Dec. 18 and 19.
Quarterfinals will take place on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1, followed by semifinals on Jan. 14 and 15. The championship game is set for Jan. 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
