Bowl Predictions 2022: Projecting CFP Playoff Field After Week 11 Games
There were plenty of people who thought TCU may suffer its first loss of the 2022 college football season on Saturday. After all, the Horned Frogs were betting underdogs for their challenging road matchup at Texas.
But nothing can stop TCU right now. And that's why it remains among the four FBS teams that are still unbeaten.
The Horned Frogs, who entered the week at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, improved to 10-0 with a 17-10 win over the No. 18 Longhorns. Meanwhile, No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan all stayed undefeated as well.
Because of that, the CFP rankings likely won't change much after Week 11. And the predictions for how the Playoff field will unfold aren't different, either.
College Football Playoff Predictions
Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Tennessee
Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 TCU
Let's start this breakdown at the top with Georgia, which improved to 10-0 with a 45-19 win at Mississippi State on Saturday. The Bulldogs remain on cruise control, and even if they lose in the SEC Championship Game (which will likely be a matchup against LSU), they'll still have a strong resume.
Of course, Georgia controls its own destiny, though. And if it ends up as the undefeated SEC champion, it will be the No. 1 seed in the CFP.
Ohio State (10-0) blew past Indiana for a 56-14 victory, while Michigan (10-0) had no trouble beating Nebraska 34-3. One of these Big Ten teams will end up in the College Football Playoff.
But it still seems like it may be only one of the two. And that will likely be decided by the regular-season finale between the Buckeyes and Wolverines on Nov. 26. Tennessee will likely pass whichever team wins that game.
The Vols and either the Buckeyes or Wolverines will both have one-loss records and will have missed out on playing in their respective conference championship game.
However, Tennessee will have played a more difficult schedule. And the Vols are continuing to impress, as they stormed to a 66-24 win over Missouri on Saturday, bouncing back from their first loss of the season (which came at Georgia the previous week).
As for TCU, it appears to be in a good position to still be undefeated going into the Big 12 Championship Game. The Horned Frogs close out the regular season with matchups against Baylor and Iowa State, and they should win both. Then, they'll also be the favorite to win the conference title.
If TCU slips up and loses at any point, it will likely fall out of the Playoff mix (assuming the other top teams keep winning). But at this point, it seems unlikely to happen.
Outside of the top five, the teams that appear to have the best chance at reaching the CFP are LSU and USC.
LSU (8-2) is in first place in the SEC West ahead of Alabama and Ole Miss. If the Tigers win out and capture the conference championship by becoming the first team to beat Georgia this season, they'd have a strong Playoff case.
USC (9-1) is the only Pac-12 team in the mix after Oregon and UCLA both lost on Saturday. The Trojans haven't been tested yet, but they close out the regular season with games against UCLA and Notre Dame. If they win both and then capture the Pac-12 title, they could have a strong CFP resume.
Still, don't be surprised if the College Football Playoff field ends up featuring Georgia, Ohio State/Michigan, TCU and Tennessee. And while the Buckeyes-Wolverines matchup could go either way, the former will be the favorite.
