Bowl Predictions 2022: Complete CFP Projections Following Week 10
The first edition of the 2022 College Football Playoff rankings came out earlier this week. And yet, it's already time for a substantial shakeup.
On Saturday, two of the top four teams in the CFP rankings suffered their first losses of the year. No. 1 Tennessee fell 27-13 to No. 3 Georgia, while No. 4 Clemson lost 35-14 to Notre Dame.
Now that the Bulldogs have knocked off the No. 1 team in the rankings, the defending national champions will likely ascend to the top spot. And they're the clear front-runner to end up with the top seed for the CFP.
How does the rest of the College Football Playoff picture now look? Here's a breakdown following the Week 10 action.
College Football Playoff Projections
Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Michigan
Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Tennessee
Two SEC teams and two Big Ten teams in the four-team College Football Playoff field? Don't rule it out. And now that Clemson has fallen out of the picture (at least for the time being), it's a more plausible scenario.
Tennessee may no longer be the No. 1 team in the CFP rankings, but it still has a clear path to the Playoff. If the Vols can win each of their final three games, they'll be 11-1. They can't get to the SEC Championship Game without Georgia stumbling down the stretch, and that's unlikely to happen.
So if Tennessee is a one-loss team with only a 14-point road defeat against the best team in the country on its resume, it will be hard for the selection committee to exclude the Vols from the CFP.
Meanwhile, Georgia (9-0) continues to control its own Playoff destiny. The Bulldogs have likely secured their spot in the SEC Championship Game, where they will probably face either LSU or Ole Miss.
Unless Georgia loses a game, it will be the No. 1 seed in the CFP. If the Bulldogs' only loss comes in the conference championship game, they could still have a case to make the Playoff.
Ohio State and Michigan are in the same position in the Big Ten, as both have sterling 9-0 records. The No. 2 Buckeyes won 21-7 at Northwestern on Saturday, while the No. 5 Wolverines notched a 52-17 victory at Rutgers.
With Clemson losing, Michigan should move up into either the No. 3 or No. 4 spot in the CFP rankings (with Tennessee still being in the other position). But the Wolverines' season could come down to their meeting with the Buckeyes on Nov. 26.
That Ohio State-Michigan clash will likely decide which of the two will advance to the Big Ten Championship Game to face the winner of the conference's other division. But if the Buckeyes and Wolverines play a competitive game, they could still both get into the CFP, assuming that they have only one combined loss.
Other teams remain in the College Football Playoff mix, though. No. 7 TCU is 9-0, one of only four undefeated FBS teams in the country, and they're the favorites to win the Big 12. No. 8 Oregon is 8-1 and continues to be the front-runner to win the Pac-12. And Clemson could bounce back and still be the ACC champion with only one loss this season.
However, No. 6 Alabama may no longer have a path to the CFP. In fact, the Crimson Tide may not even reach the SEC Championship Game, as they fell 32-31 in overtime at No. 10 LSU on Saturday. Perhaps the Tigers could get into the Playoff conversation if they go on to win the SEC title themselves.
So as of right now, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee and Michigan are the best teams in the country. We'll have to see how things shake out the rest of the way, but there may be only two conferences represented in the CFP this season.
