College Football Playoff Bracket if the 2023 Season Ended Today

• Here is what the college football playoff bracket would look like today.
• Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Florida State are the top four teams as of today (October 2, 2023).

The 2023 college football season is nearly halfway, and the playoff picture is beginning to take shape. Oklahoma catapulted themselves into the conversation with a thrilling win over Texas, while Georgia finally looked like the number one team in the country, and Michigan dominated Minnesota. 

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 Georgia Bulldogs eviscerated the Kentucky Wildcats in Athens, 51-13. Carson Beck continues to be doubted but continues to produce at a very high level. Beck was 28-35 for 389 yards with four touchdowns, and it could have been a lot more as the Bulldogs let up in the second half. The vertical passing attack came to life in the first half as Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint had 99 yards and a touchdown, and Rara Thomas added 63 yards and a score. Of course, Brock Bowers had another big game, romping for 132 yards with another touchdown. The Bulldogs are still looking for more from Dominic Lovett and Ladd McConkey, and the running game is not likely to ever be dominant, but the offense looks to be finding rhythm as the season reaches its halfway point. Florida State moves up into the fourth slot after the loss by Texas. The Seminoles beat Virginia Tech comfortably after jumping to a nice lead in the first half. Trey Benson had 200 yards rushing on 11 carries as the Seminoles racked up 282 yards on the ground. The Seminoles do not face North Carolina or Louisville (both unbeaten) in the regular season and have a favorable remaining schedule. 

The other semifinal would pit the Michigan Wolverines against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Pasadena. Of course, these two teams will meet in Ann Arbor to close the regular season, so it is unlikely they’d face each other in a semifinal matchup. Michigan hammered Minnesota on Saturday, and after sleepwalking through the first few games of the season, the Wolverines appear awake and ready to challenge for a national title. The defense is surrendering less than seven points per game, easily first in the country. The offense has not shown much of a vertical passing attack but is incredibly efficient and physical. The Wolverines will not be challenged this week (vs. Indiana) or throughout October. We won’t learn much about them until November 11 at Penn State. Ohio State slides up to number three after the Texas loss, but the offense still looks uninspiring. They defeated Maryland 37-17, but the Terrapins aided the Buckeyes with some critical mistakes. The Ohio State defense is better than the past few seasons, but the offense needs something besides throwing jump balls to Marvin Harrison Jr. That is a heck of a weapon, but they’ll need more than that to beat Penn State and Michigan. The Buckeyes play at Purdue this Saturday before hosting the Nittany Lions. 

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.