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Each week, The Dash reveals its projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, treating the current moment as if it were Selection Sunday. Following Week 6, the field and seeding have been updated, with several intriguing matchups on tap.
Projected Playoff Field
The 12 teams that made the cut are Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, UCLA, Indiana, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Missouri, BYU, and Boise State. Additionally, Kentucky, Mississippi, Wake Forest, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Utah, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Houston, Arizona, James Madison, and New Mexico were considered but ultimately left out.
First-Round Matchups
In the first round, No. 12 Boise State travels to No. 5 Indiana, No. 11 BYU visits No. 6 Alabama, No. 10 Missouri faces No. 7 Texas, and No. 9 Mississippi State takes on No. 8 Ohio State.
Quarterfinal Bowl Games
The quarterfinals feature the Rose Bowl, where No. 4 UCLA awaits the winner of Boise State at Indiana. In the Fiesta Bowl, No. 3 Notre Dame will play the victor of BYU at Alabama. The Cotton Bowl pits No. 2 Miami against the winner of Missouri at Texas, while the Peach Bowl sees No. 1 Georgia facing the survivor of Mississippi State at Ohio State.
For more college sports insights, listen to Sports Illustrated's podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, available on Apple and Spotify. The show can also be watched on SI's college YouTube channel or on SI TV.
Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, covering college football, college basketball, the Olympics, and horse racing. He cohosts the Others Receiving Votes podcast for SI and frequently contributes to the Tony Kornheiser Show podcast. Previously, he worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN, and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal.
Forde has earned 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, been featured three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and a member of the Football Writers Association of America, he resides in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.
Follow Forde on Twitter at ByPatForde.