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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Phil Harrison

What a 12-team College Football Playoff would have looked like in 2022

The final College Football Playoff rankings are out, and we now know the four teams that will be competing for a national championship. By now, you know Ohio State is one of those teams, but so are Georgia, Michigan, and TCU. A four-team “playoff.”

With the news that the College Football Playoff will expand beginning in 2024, we have just one more year of the popularity contest to get an invite to all the fun. I say it’s about time (no offense purists), because it’ll be much easier to know what needs to be done to get into the playoff, and it gives teams that don’t get in on reputation a better shot than what we have today.

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Now that we know what the final CFP rankings are, we thought it would be fun to see what the 12-team playoff would look like if it were in place today instead of the “and one” model that we got snookered into.

Here is how it would have played out. Remember, the highest-ranked conference champions take the top four seeds, so the top seeds would be different.

First … The 12 seeds

The top 12 seeds if the expanded CFP were in place this year

Top 12 seeds

  1. Georgia
  2. Michigan
  3. Clemson
  4. Utah
  5. TCU
  6. Ohio State
  7. Alabama
  8. Tennessee
  9. Kansas State
  10. USC
  11. Penn State
  12. Tulane

NEXT … First Round Matchups (top four seeds get a bye)

Game 1: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed

Nov 5, 2022; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel leaves the field after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Matchup

No. 8 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Kansas State

Game 2: No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed

Nov 5, 2022; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs punt returner Derius Davis (11) reacts after scoring a touchdown on an 82-yard punt return during the first half of a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

The Matchup

No. 5 TCU vs. No. 12 Tulane

Game 3: No. 6 seed vs. No. 11 seed

Oct 29, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Julian Fleming (4) catches a pass during the first half of the NCAA Division I football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

The Matchup

No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Penn State

Game 4: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed

Oct 8, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban reacts during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

The Matchup

No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 10 USC

NEXT … Second Round Matchups

Game 5: No. 1 seed vs. winner of Game 1

Nov 5, 2022; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) on the field before the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Sanford Stadium. Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Matchup

No. 1 Georgia vs. Winner of Tennessee/Kansas State

 

Game 6: No. 4 seed vs. winner of Game 2

Dec 2, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes wide receiver Money Parks (10) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Southern California Trojans during the second half of the PAC-12 Football Championship at Allegiant Stadium. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Matchup

No. 4 Utah vs. Winner of TCU/Tulane

 

Game 7: No. 3 seed vs. Game 3 winner

Oct 8, 2022; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney talks to his players during the second half against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Matchup

No. 3 Clemson vs. Winner of Ohio State/Penn State

Game 8: No. 2 seed vs. winner Game 4

Dec 3, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines during the second half of the Big Ten Championship against the Purdue Boilermakers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Matchup

No. 2 Michigan vs. winner of Alabama/USC

NEXT … The Rest of the Bracket

Complete Bracket

What do you think about these matchups? Would you be excited to watch this amount of quality games? Who do you think would win it all?

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