Florida’s rise into the College Football Playoff picture came with a pretty clean reward: a home game.
Based on the latest Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, the Gators would land in the 12-team field for the first time and secure the No. 8 seed, which is the final spot that gets to host in the opening round. First-year coach Jon Sumrall’s team jumped 13 places to No. 8, and that move would give the Southeastern Conference six teams in the bracket.
The top four seeds would go to Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame and Miami. Behind them, Ohio State, Indiana, Alabama and Florida would be the teams hosting first-round games.
The projected bracket, using the AP rankings, would line up like this: No. 9 Mississippi at No.
8 Florida, with the winner advancing to play No. 1 Texas; No.
12 Boise State at Ohio State, with the winner moving on to No. 4 Miami; No.
10 BYU at No. 7 Alabama, with the winner facing No.
2 Georgia; and No. 11 LSU at No.
6 Indiana, with the winner getting No. 3 Notre Dame.
That setup also shows how the CFP’s structure works. The five highest-ranked conference champions - four from the Power Four leagues and one from the Group of Six - make the field, while the other seven spots go to the next highest-ranked teams. Notre Dame would fill one of those at-large spots if the Fighting Irish are inside the top 12 in the final CFP rankings.
By conference, the Big Ten would place two teams in the field, while the Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Pac-12 would each have one. Notre Dame would be in as an independent, and Boise State would be the Pac-12’s representative as the top Group of Six champion.
The first three teams just outside the bracket would be Texas Tech, Utah and Iowa. Texas Tech sits No. 12 in the AP poll, but Boise State would still leapfrog it as the highest-ranked Group of Six team.
The CFP schedule would begin with first-round games on Dec. 18 and 19. Quarterfinals are set for Dec. 30 and Jan. 1, the semifinals for Jan. 14 and 15, and the championship game for Jan. 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The AP will keep rolling out playoff brackets based on its weekly Top 25 until the CFP selection committee releases its first official rankings Nov. 3.
In Other News...
BYU Just Added Another Twist Before A Huge Trip To TCU
BYU is keeping its weekly uniform reveal rolling, and the Cougars will bring another new look into a major Big 12 road game at TCU. The team announced it will wear all white with royal trim and royal helmets, continuing a season-long pattern of changing things up every week. It is the fourth different combination BYU has used in as many games, another small wrinkle as the Cougars head into one of the more important trips on the schedule.
The setting at TCU adds to the intrigue, with weather expected to factor into the matchup and both teams carrying recent results that give the game a little extra weight. BYU has already shown it is willing to mix style with substance, but the real test will be whether the new uniform comes with the same edge on the field. For a team still settling into the rhythm of conference play, every detail matters, including what the Cougars are wearing when they walk into Fort Worth. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Made An Early Move That Could Shake Up Safety Competition
During BYUs bye week, safeties coach Demario Warren made an early move in the recruiting market by extending a scholarship offer to JUCO safety Jadyn Hudson of the College of San Mateo. Hudson brings some real intrigue to the position room as a former UCLA freshman and four-star recruit, and he has already drawn an offer from Western Michigan as well.
For BYU, the timing matters because the Cougars are still sorting out depth and competition at safety, and Hudson fits the profile of a player who could help immediately while still offering room to develop. He has three years of eligibility remaining and comes with a reputation for strong ball skills and tackling, two traits that tend to travel well if the Cougars can get him on campus. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Heads To TCU With A Major Offensive Line Concern
BYU heads into its trip to TCU with a key question on the offensive line, as starting right tackle Andrew Gentry is listed as questionable because of injury. The Cougars have had to manage their front five carefully all season, and this latest uncertainty comes at a time when continuity up front matters even more against a conference opponent on the road.
If Gentry cannot go, freshmen Bott Mulitalo and Siosiua Latu-Finau are in line to battle for the spot at right tackle. There is some good news on the injury front, though, with coach Kalani Sitake saying offensive lineman Kyle Sfarcioc, tight end Roger Saleapaga and receiver Tiger Bachmeier are expected back after missing the previous game, giving BYU at least a few more options as it tries to sort out its lineup. [Read more 🡒]