NCAAF · 10 months ago

12-Team College Football Playoff Bracket Predictions Going Into Week 14

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

12. Arizona State Sun Devils (Big 12 Champion)
BYU now has two losses, and there is a four-team logjam at the top with Arizona State, BYU, Iowa State, and Colorado all there. The Sun Devils will be the highest-ranked team after beating BYU, and they are the pick to win the league championship. They will also visit Autzen Stadium to face former Pac-12 foe Oregon in the first round.

Week 14: Arizona State (-8.5) at Arizona
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Champion)
The Oregon Ducks will still be the number one team in the country but when Ohio State and Oregon matchup in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game, the Buckeyes will be favored. As a result, they move into the projected number one seed for this College Football Playoff bracket. Ohio State has dialed up the amount of pressure and blitzes they are sending after opposing quarterbacks and the impact has been significant. A botched punt by Indiana gave Ohio State a touchdown and Caleb Downs had an electric punt return touchdown to put the Buckeyes ahead 21-7 and their defense took care of the rest in a 23-point win. I am convinced that the winner of the Big Ten Championship Game will get the one-seed and the loser will get the five-seed.

Week 14: Michigan at Ohio State (-20.5)
2. Texas Longhorns (SEC Champion)
The Texas Longhorns overcame a slow start against Kentucky and won comfortably to advance to 10-1 with a trip to College Station on tap. Texas survived a chaotic weekend in the SEC and is now alone on top of the conference. The defense has been dominant, which is the biggest reason they are poised to make it to the SEC Championship Game in their first year in the league.

Week 14: Texas (-6.5) at Texas A&M
3. Miami Hurricanes (ACC Champion)
The Miami Hurricanes were in a close game with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at halftime, but Cam Ward got some help from his defense, and the Canes pulled away from Wake Forest for a comfortable win. Miami’s loss to Georgia Tech has removed the margin for error. However, they are still projected to grab the three-seed heading into an exciting matchup with Syracuse's explosive passing attack. If the Orange hand the Hurricanes their second ACC loss, Miami would miss the ACC Championship Game and it would be Clemson versus SMU.

Week 14: Miami (-10.5) @ Syracuse
4. Boise State Broncos (Group of Five)
Boise State’s wins have not been particularly impressive recently but they keep on getting the job done and are unbeaten in the Mountain West Conference. If they win out, the Broncos will be the Group of Five’s selection into the playoff, and they could be ranked higher than the Big 12 Champion. That means the Broncos could, improbably, get a first-round bye and would wait for a quarterfinal matchup in the Fiesta Bowl.

Week 14: Boise State (-18.5) vs. Oregon State
5. Oregon Ducks
Oregon is 11-0, and they close the regular season with the Washington Huskies. This projection has the Ducks losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game and dropping from the one-seed to the five-seed. The Ducks would host the Big 12 Champion. Who that ends up being is anyone’s guess after another crazy day in the league. A road to the semifinals of a home game against Arizona State and then a Fiesta Bowl matchup with Boise State would be very advantageous for the Ducks.

Week 14: Oregon (-19.5) vs. Washington
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish trounced Army and now have to survive a trip to the West Coast against the USC Trojans. USC is not particularly good, but Notre Dame is only favored by 6.5 points. A second loss could drop them out of the bracket, but a win would all but ensure they host a first-round game.

Week 14: Notre Dame (-6.5) at USC
7. Georgia Bulldogs
With the way things played out on Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs are in the SEC Championship Game. However, this projection has the Bulldogs losing to Texas and finishing at 10-3. They have played an extremely difficult schedule, and the committee is likely to reward that with a home game. The winner would play Texas in the Sugar Bowl in a potential rematch.

Week 14: Georgia(-20.5) vs. Georgia Tech
8. Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions survived at Minnesota with a one-point win. The Gophers needed a late stop on defense and a pair of fourth-down conversions by PSU, including a bold fake punt, helped churn out the clock and protect its fragile lead. The winner of the 8/9 game would play top-seeded Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Week 14: Penn State (-23.5) vs. Maryland
9. Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers had a great weekend. They entered Saturday on the outside looking in with games against UTEP and Vanderbilt not offering much of a chance to move them up. They hammered the Miners and then got a ton of help as teams ranked ahead of them (IU, Alabama, and Ole Miss) and behind them (BYU, Texas A&M) fell and face drops in the rankings. If the Volunteers can beat Vanderbilt, they will make the playoffs. This projection has Rocky Top heading to Happy Valley to play Penn State.

Week 14: Tennessee (-10.5) at Vanderbilt
10. Indiana Hoosiers
A pair of special teams blunders put Indiana into a hole they were unable to climb out of. The loss to Ohio State was the first for the Hoosiers, and they are now 10-1. In the immediate aftermath of IU’s loss, it certainly looked like the Hoosiers could drop entirely from the bracket to make way for one of the two-loss SEC teams. However, the rest of the day was extremely kind for Indiana as Ole Miss, Alabama, and Texas A&M all got their third losses, each to unranked foes on the road. If Indiana can take care of business against Purdue, they will be in the bracket. The loss to Ohio State likely eliminates IU from being able to host a first-round game but they’ll get a chance on the sport’s biggest stage if they can beat the Boilermakers. Their reward for an 11-1 season? A trip to Athens to play the Georgia Bulldogs.

Week 14: Indiana (-27.5) vs. Purdue
11. SMU Mustangs
What to do with the final at-large selection? Could it be a three-loss SEC team like Alabama or Ole Miss? Given the ugly losses on their resumes, that seems unlikely, no matter how much the SEC crows about only getting three teams into the field. The Big 12 is not getting two teams in. Do two ACC teams get in? If SMU is 11-1 in the regular season and then loses to Miami in the ACC Championship Game in a competitive game, that seems like the most likely outcome. They would be rewarded with a trip to South Bend to play Notre Dame.

Week 14: SMU (-12.5) vs. Cal
12. Arizona State Sun Devils (Big 12 Champion)
BYU now has two losses, and there is a four-team logjam at the top with Arizona State, BYU, Iowa State, and Colorado all there. The Sun Devils will be the highest-ranked team after beating BYU, and they are the pick to win the league championship. They will also visit Autzen Stadium to face former Pac-12 foe Oregon in the first round.

Week 14: Arizona State (-8.5) at Arizona
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Champion)
The Oregon Ducks will still be the number one team in the country but when Ohio State and Oregon matchup in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game, the Buckeyes will be favored. As a result, they move into the projected number one seed for this College Football Playoff bracket. Ohio State has dialed up the amount of pressure and blitzes they are sending after opposing quarterbacks and the impact has been significant. A botched punt by Indiana gave Ohio State a touchdown and Caleb Downs had an electric punt return touchdown to put the Buckeyes ahead 21-7 and their defense took care of the rest in a 23-point win. I am convinced that the winner of the Big Ten Championship Game will get the one-seed and the loser will get the five-seed.

Week 14: Michigan at Ohio State (-20.5)

12-Team College Football Playoff Bracket Predictions Going Into Week 14

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