Only a few hours left until the announcement College football playoffs field. There is still a lot of drama to play out on the field.
The committee gathers at their headquarters at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas to watch the conference championship games that will affect their final rankings on Selection Day. It was just the start of the conference championship weekend, but how these committee-watched games are played will determine the top five ranked conference champions – and how that order affects the opponents around them.
We're tracking all the conference title games and their impact on the CFP field, plus the best games and highlights from No. 1. Ohio vs. No. 2 Indiana.
Go to: Conclusions on CFP
Conclusions based on the conference title
With a win over Alabama, Georgia should secure a top-four finish and a first-round bye, but that position depends in part on how far the loser of the Big Ten Championship Game falls. It's entirely possible that Ohio State and Indiana will simply switch places – or remain status quo – but if it's a lopsided loss, Georgia could finish anywhere from 2nd to 4th.
The bigger question is how far Alabama will fall after its decisive third loss. If Alabama drops to No. 11, it would open the door for both Notre Dame and Miami in the top 10 — regardless of order. Because of the way Alabama lost (and the committee hasn't forgotten about their early-season loss to Florida State), the Crimson Tide could be out of contention. However, the committee will also take into account Alabama's road win over the SEC champions in the regular season. If Alabama loses even one spot, it could still become a buffer between Miami and Notre Dame – and could become the last team overall ranked 10th.
Texas Tech's win over BYU secured a top-four finish and a first-round bye for the Red Raiders. It also greatly improved Notre Dame's playoff chances, as the Irish no longer had to worry about BYU sweeping them.
However, this puzzle is far from complete.
It doesn't matter to BYU whether the committee keeps him at No. 11 or drops him to No. 12 (or higher). Either way, BYU will be eliminated during the seeding process to include the conference champion. However, where BYU lands will impact Miami.
The selection committee will likely do one of two things: move No. 11 BYU to No. 12 for Miami or leave it where it is. If BYU falls below the Canes, the committee could reconsider the Miami-Notre Dame tiebreaker.
With Tulane's win over North Texas on Friday, the U.S. champions clinched their playoff berth as they will become the committee's fourth-ranked conference champions. The Green Wave will receive a No. 11 or 12 seed, depending on who wins the ACC Championship Game. If Tulane receives the No. 11 seed and faces a No. 6 team on the road in the first round, as things currently stand, Tulane will get a rematch against Ole Miss. The Rebels will beat Tulane 45-10 on Sept. 20 in Oxford, and they will once again have home-field advantage as the higher seed.
After Friday's win over Troy, J.M.U.The path to the playoffs is simple: Duke needs to beat Virginia and win the ACC. If that happens, the committee will reward JMU with the No. 12 seed as the fifth and final conference champion – and it will come at the expense of the ACC champion being eliminated. The question, however, is whether the conference will be eliminated entirely – or whether No. 12 Miami will still sneak in without even playing this weekend. That could happen if BYU loses to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game and falls behind Miami, putting the Canes right behind No. 10 Notre Dame. In this scenario, the committee could view Miami's season-opening win over the Irish as one of several tiebreakers it uses to separate comparable teams.
