College Football Playoff Bracket if the 2023 Season Ended Today

• Here is what the college football playoff bracket would look like today.
• Georgia, Michigan, Florida State, and Texas are the top four teams as of today (September 12, 2023).

The 2023 college football season is essentially a quarter complete, and the playoff picture is beginning to take shape. There was only one minor change to the top four teams after this weekend’s results as Texas jumped up to No. 3, swapping with Florida State, who dropped to No. 4. This weekend will likely see some significant shake-up in the top ten as Ohio State plays Notre Dame, Florida State travels to Clemson, Iowa plays Penn State and Colorado battles Oregon. It will be a massive Saturday for college football.

Several teams have good college football championship odds, which will change significantly over the year.

Here’s how the playoff would look if the season ended today.

College Football Playoff Bracket

The first semifinal would pit the No. 1 team in the country and the defending champions, Georgia Bulldogs, against the No. 4 Florida State Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs survived a scare against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Athens. UGA trailed 14-3 at halftime, but the defensive pressure from Georgia’s defensive line wore down the porous South Carolina offensive line and prevented quarterback Spencer Rattler from getting anything going in the second half. Georgia is No. 1 until someone knocks them off, and the Bulldogs’ schedule will not offer many challenges. Still, there are concerns about the UGA offense and whether they have any difference-makers in the running game. Florida State, sitting in the playoff picture after a great win over LSU in Week 1, also survived a scare. They defeated Boston College 31-29 at Chestnut Hill and were aided by 18 penalties called against the Eagles. FSU was outgained and struggled to contain BC’s quarterback when he scrambled or left the pocket to throw. The Seminoles must refocus as a trip to Death Valley awaits this Saturday at noon.

The other semifinal would pit the Michigan Wolverines against the Texas Longhorns in Pasadena. Michigan appears to have taken the first three weeks as preseason contests, coasting in reasonably unimpressive fashion against vastly inferior opposition. They have not needed anything close to their fastball and have yet to be tested. The Wolverines have talent at every level, and the Michigan coaching staff has said they could have nearly 30 players drafted in the upcoming NFL Draft. Unfortunately, we will not know what Michigan offers until October 7, when they travel to Minnesota. Still, at least this Saturday will have them playing a conference foe as they take on 3-0 Rutgers. Their opponent would be the No. 3 Texas Longhorns. Texas has one of the best wins of the season, a victory at Alabama. It’s unclear what precisely the Crimson Tide will accomplish this season with their issues at quarterback, but that win unquestionably has staying power. Texas was tied with Wyoming at the end of the third quarter before outscoring the Cowboys 21-0 to close the game. Wyoming’s defense deserves a lot of credit as they held the Longhorns to just 316 yards of offense, and Wyoming’s offense dominated the ball, securing 39 minutes of possession. Texas enters Big 12 play with games against Baylor and Kansas, precluding a clash with Oklahoma on October 7.

When is the 2023 College Football Playoff?

The semifinals will occur at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. The first contest will begin at 5:00 p.m. ET, and the second game will kick off at 8:45 p.m. ET so that you can ring in the New Year with the four best teams in the country. The semifinal winners will battle for the National Championship on January 8, 2023.