Despite their loss to Michigan, Ohio State remains in the playoff picture, while Arizona State claims victory in the Big 12, securing a crucial first-round bye in the last College Football Playoff (CFP) projection of the regular season from YSL News Sports.

The nine conference championship games in the Bowl Subdivision taking place Friday and Saturday will clarify the playoff landscape ahead of the selection committee’s final rankings, set to be revealed early Sunday afternoon.

The Buckeyes’ consecutive defeat to Michigan drops them from contention for a top-four seed, placing them in a rematch against Indiana in the first round. Ohio State is expected to join Notre Dame, Georgia, and Penn State as one of four host teams for this initial round.

If SMU wins the ACC, it would greatly benefit Alabama, positioning them as a potential team in the playoffs if the Mustangs triumph over Clemson. This outcome would lead the Crimson Tide to a highly anticipated matchup in South Bend against the Fighting Irish.

Meanwhile, in the Big 12, Arizona State is forecasted to triumph over Iowa State, elevating their ranking past Boise State. This win would position the Sun Devils among the top four conference champions, granting them a first-round bye into the quarterfinals.

College Football Playoff Projection

The Big Ten and SEC lead the bracket with four teams each: Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana from the Big Ten; Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama from the SEC.

Notre Dame secures the ninth spot in the playoffs after winning ten consecutive games and showcasing their strongest performance under coach Marcus Freeman. The field is rounded out by SMU, Boise State, and Arizona State.

As mentioned, a win for Clemson over SMU may very likely eliminate Alabama from playoff contention. If Arizona State wins, they are likely to overtake Boise State, but the same cannot be confirmed for Iowa State if they win against the Sun Devils.

Four Teams to Monitor

Army

The Black Knights’ chances of making it to the playoffs have diminished due to the ranked matchup between Boise State and UNLV in the Mountain West Conference. Army had a potential path to the Group of Five lead with an upset against Notre Dame two weeks ago, but this was further complicated when Tulane lost to Memphis, taking away a potential ranked victory.

South Carolina

Ultimately, the Gamecocks will struggle to recover from losses to Alabama and Mississippi. These direct matchups have overshadowed an impressive second half of the season where they achieved three victories against ranked teams.

Miami

Miami’s hopes of entering the playoff appear bleak after their defeat to Syracuse, which eliminated them from the ACC Championship Game. This loss raised questions about whether the Hurricanes could still reach the playoffs with an 11-2 record and a loss to SMU. Clearly, Miami’s second loss dashed any chances for the ACC to send two teams into the playoffs.

Indiana

The Hoosiers have benefitted from some upheaval in the SEC, remaining a strong playoff candidate even after a significant loss to Ohio State in November. Indiana has earned this opportunity by dominating most of their schedule this year and finished strong with a 66-0 victory over rival Purdue.