12-Team College Football Playoff Bracket Based on Coaches Poll

8. Tennessee Volunteers vs 9. Oregon Ducks

The Tennessee Volunteers sat on the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night in Norman and impressed voters enough to move up to No. 6 in the poll, flipping spots with the Oregon Ducks. Tennessee has shown a strong defense and physicality, making them a complete team. The Volunteers would host the 3-0 Oregon Ducks in this hypothetical bracket. The winner would have a date with the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl in the quarterfinals.

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2. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Champion)

The Ohio State Buckeyes improved to 3-0 with a romp over Marshall. The Buckeyes were outscoring opponents 157 to 20 and showed the versatility and explosiveness of their offense against the Thundering Herd with multiple long touchdown plays. Ohio State opens Big Ten play against the Michigan State Spartans, with all eyes pointing towards the clash against the Oregon Ducks on October 12 in Eugene. Ohio State would await the winner of the seven versus ten seed for a quarterfinal matchup in the Rose Bowl.

Week 5: Ohio State (-24.5) at Michigan State

3. Miami Hurricanes (ACC Champion)

The Miami Hurricanes remain the ACC favorite after a convincing win over the South Florida Bulls. Miami outscored the Bulls 28-0 in the second half and moved up two spots in the Coaches Poll to No. 9. That jumps them over Utah and gives them the third seed in the College Football Playoff. Miami would be slotted into the Peach Bowl for the quarterfinals, and they would await the winner of the six-seed versus the 11-seed first-round clash.

4. Utah Utes (Big 12 Champion)

The Utah Utes survived a late comeback by the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater. The Utes impressively won without quarterback Cam Rising, which will be needed moving forward as he struggles with his health. With Rising, Utah seems like a legitimate threat to make noise in the playoff, but if his availability is a constant question, does Utah have enough offense to win a quarterfinal matchup? The Utes have become the favorite in the Big 12 after the Kansas State Wildcats flopped at BYU. Utah would be in the Fiesta Bowl for the quarterfinals and would battle the winner of the five versus 12 game.

5. Texas Longhorns vs. 12. UNLV Rebels

The Texas Longhorns hammered UL-Monroe to improve to 4-0. Quinn Ewers was sidelined with his oblique injury, and Arch Manning was fine but did have two interceptions and perhaps underwhelmed a bit, given the opponent. Texas’ win at Michigan gained more stock as the Wolverines beat USC, and this would be a great playoff draw for the Longhorns. They would get to host the top-ranked Group of Five champion, and that honor currently belongs to the UNLV Rebels. The Rebels are 3-0 and would have to travel to Austin as heavy underdogs, with the winner playing Utah in the Fiesta Bowl.

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6. Alabama Crimson Tide vs 11. Missouri Tigers

The Alabama Crimson Tide are currently ranked fourth in the Coaches Poll and are slotted in as the No. 6 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide were on a bye week last Saturday as the Tide and Bulldogs got an extra week to prepare for their massive game in Tuscaloosa this coming weekend. Alabama would host fellow SEC squad Missouri in the first round, with the winner playing the Miami Hurricanes in Atlanta in the quarterfinals. Missouri squeaked by Vanderbilt in overtime, and it’s fair to call the Tigers a disappointment thus far. They have two close victories against teams they should be beating handily and do not seem to have the same speed they had in 2023. They’ll need to pick up their level of play quickly or fall out of the playoff picture entirely.

7. Ole Miss Rebels vs 10. Penn State Nittany Lions

The top five were unchanged in the Coaches Poll, so the Ole Miss Rebels remained at No. 5 and the seventh seed in the College Football Playoff. The Rebels are 4-0, outscoring opponents 220-22 thus far. The Rebels host Kentucky this Saturday and then travel to South Carolina and LSU before a bye week. How will Ole Miss respond to a test, and when will that first test come? The Penn State Nittany Lions would travel to Oxford as the ten seed. They are ranked eighth in the country and are 3-0 after splattering the woeful Kent State Golden Flashes. The Nittany Lions have an exciting contest this Saturday against Illinois.

8. Tennessee Volunteers vs 9. Oregon Ducks

The Tennessee Volunteers sat on the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night in Norman and impressed voters enough to move up to No. 6 in the poll, flipping spots with the Oregon Ducks. Tennessee has shown a strong defense and physicality, making them a complete team. The Volunteers would host the 3-0 Oregon Ducks in this hypothetical bracket. The winner would have a date with the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl in the quarterfinals.

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