On Tuesday evening after Michigan State and Kentucky finally wrapped up their men’s basketball matchup we finally received the Week 11 College Football Playoff rankings. To no one’s surprise, the top four remained intact with Georgia securing the top spot.
In fact, we saw absolutely no movement among the top five teams and LSU moved up to No. 6. The Tigers and Bulldogs will meet in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 3. That game could put LSU in the title hunt with a win.
But what would a 12-team playoff look like? With the field expanding in 2026, we wanted to take a look at how the expanded field would look.
The top four conference champions would take the top seeds and earn the first-round bye. The next two conference champions would also be in the mix among the next eight. This gives six at-large bids to round out the field of 12.
First Round Byes
Top four seeds on a bye
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Texas Christian Horned Frogs
- Southern California Trojans
No. 8 Seed vs No. 9 Seed
No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide vs No. 9 Clemson Tigers
We have seen this matchup in the CFP before and I wouldn’t mind watching it again. These two teams have looked like shells of their former selves but make no mistake this would be a good matchup and I would lean toward Alabama here.
No. 7 Seed vs No. 10 Seed
No. 7 LSU Tigers vs No. 10 Utah Utes
The LSU Tigers keep climbing despite the close win over Arkansas. They would draw the Utah Utes but their defense would give them the edge. Give me LSU in this particular matchup.
No. 6 Seed vs No. 11 Seed
No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers vs No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State has struggled with high-octane offenses this year and that is what Tennessee brings to the table. I would go with Josh Heupel and the Vols.
No. 5 Seed vs No. 12 Seed
No. 5 Michigan Wolverines vs No. 12 Central Florida Knights
UCF has been coming on strong as the best Group of Five team as of late, but it wouldn’t be enough against the Michigan Wolverines.
