Chaos Confirmed: Final CFP Rankings Set 12-Team Field, First-Round Matchups

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The College Football Playoff Selection Committee ended a week of intense debate and historic upsets by releasing its final rankings on Sunday, December 7, setting the field for the second annual 12-team playoff.

The final rankings confirmed a monumental rise for the Indiana Hoosiers and delivered a staggering blow to the ACC, while leaving the college football world arguing over the inclusion of a three-loss Alabama team and the omission of a two-loss Notre Dame.

The Elite 4: Bye Teams Confirmed

The four highest-ranked teams—all conference champions—earned a coveted first-round bye and will host their Quarterfinal matchups at major bowl sites:

Seed	Team	Record	Conference	Quarterfinal Destination
1	Indiana Hoosiers	13-0	Big Ten Champion	Rose Bowl
2	Ohio State Buckeyes	12-1	Big Ten (At-Large)	Cotton Bowl
3	Georgia Bulldogs	12-1	SEC Champion	Sugar Bowl
4	Texas Tech Red Raiders	12-1	Big 12 Champion	Orange Bowl

The Indiana Story: The No. 1 seed belongs to the Indiana Hoosiers, who completed an improbable 13-0 season by beating rival Ohio State for their first outright Big Ten title since 1945. They leapfrogged their defeated foe to claim the top spot and the guaranteed Rose Bowl Quarterfinal game.

SEC Split: Despite beating Alabama, No. 3 Georgia finished behind their conference rival, No. 2 Ohio State, which was penalized just one spot for their lone loss.

The Shock: Two Group of Five Champions Make the Field

The most shocking development came from the five automatic bids reserved for the highest-ranked conference champions. Due to the chaos in the ACC, two Group of Five (G5) teams secured auto-bids for the first time in CFP history:

Auto-Bid Rank	Team	Record	Conference Champion	Final Seed
1st	No. 1 Indiana	13-0	Big Ten	1
2nd	No. 3 Georgia	12-1	SEC	3
3rd	No. 4 Texas Tech	12-1	Big 12	4
4th	No. 20 Tulane Green Wave	11-2	American	11
5th	No. 24 James Madison Dukes	12-1	Sun Belt	12

The ACC Disaster Scenario

The ACC became the first Power Four conference to be shut out of an automatic bid. This occurred because:

Duke (8-5) won the ACC Championship but was deemed unrankable by the committee due to its five losses.
The committee ranked Group of Five Champions Tulane and James Madison higher than Duke, thus giving the automatic bids to the two G5 programs.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips’ campaign to get the league’s highest-ranked team, No. 10 Miami, an at-large bid, hinged on the remaining spots.

The At-Large Debate: Alabama In, Notre Dame Out

With seven at-large spots remaining, the committee’s final decisions stirred massive controversy:

Rank	Team	Record	Status	Playoff Fate
9	Alabama Crimson Tide	10-3	At-Large	IN (No. 9 Seed)
10	Miami Hurricanes	10-2	At-Large	IN (No. 10 Seed)
11	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	10-2	At-Large	OUT

The committee prioritized the strength of schedule and brand of 10-3 Alabama (which was demolished by Georgia in the SEC title game) over the overall record of 10-2 Notre Dame, which was the first team left out. The deciding factor for Miami’s inclusion was reportedly their head-to-head win over Notre Dame earlier in the season, earning the Hurricanes the ACC’s lone spot.

First-Round Matchups (Hosted on Campus, Dec. 19-20)

The four must-see, winner-take-all matchups are set for campus sites:

Game	Seed Matchup	Location	Intrigue
The Blueblood Brawl	No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma	Norman, OK	A rivalry renewed in the Big 12’s last stand. The winner advances to face No. 1 Indiana.
The ACC’s Hope	No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M	College Station, TX	Miami, the ACC’s only hope, travels to College Station to take on the 11-1 Aggies.
G5 vs. SEC	No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss	Oxford, MS	The highest-ranked G5 champion takes on their former coach, Lane Kiffin, in a highly personal matchup.
The Underdog Story	No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon	Eugene, OR	Sun Belt Champion JMU travels across the country to face the high-flying Ducks in a classic 5-12 upset opportunity.