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Each week, The Dash reveals its projected 12-team College Football Playoff field, seeding the squads as if the selection Sunday were upon us. This week's edition carries added significance, as the inaugural CFP selection committee rankings will be unveiled on Tuesday.
Projected Playoff Field
The 12 teams included in this week's projection are Miami, Georgia, UCLA, Utah, Kentucky, Indiana, BYU, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Texas, Ohio State, and UTSA. The numbers in parentheses indicate the team's ranking in the Associated Press poll. Other programs under consideration were Texas Tech, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, LSU, USC, Iowa, Houston, New Mexico, North Texas, and Boise State.
First-Round Matchups
The first round features four games: No. 12 UTSA travels to No. 5 Kentucky, No. 11 Ohio State visits No. 6 Indiana, No. 10 Texas heads to No. 7 BYU, and No. 9 Wake Forest plays at No. 8 Notre Dame.
Quarterfinal Bowl Games
In the quarterfinals, the Fiesta Bowl pits No. 4 Utah against the winner of UTSA at Kentucky. The Rose Bowl matches No. 3 UCLA against the victor of Ohio State at Indiana. The Cotton Bowl sees No. 2 Georgia take on the winner of Texas at BYU. Finally, the Peach Bowl features No. 1 Miami against the winner of Wake Forest at Notre Dame.
About the Author
Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, covering college football, college basketball, the Olympics, and horse racing. He co-hosts the Others Receiving Votes podcast for SI and frequently contributes to the Tony Kornheiser Show podcast. Forde has previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN, and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. He has earned 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing 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 him on Twitter @ByPatForde.