The college football world is making a drastic change at the beginning of the 2024 season. A 12-team College Football Playoff has been agreed upon by the Board of Managers and directors of bowl games across the country.
While there's still time to cherish the critical four-team playoff, it's interesting to see how the expanded postseason would have played out in 2022.
The first four teams are set with Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State all receiving first-round byes. The rest of the games will be played at the home field or requested site of the higher seeds.
These rankings and matchups were developed using scoring margins, losses to specific teams and recent résumés, with Alabama being the first team out. For example, a conference championship for Kansas State put it above teams like a nonconference-winning Penn State, and the strength of a Big 12 title put the Wildcats over AAC champs Tulane.
This should help keep the best programs in contention and heighten the importance of conference title games, since a conference title will secure a spot in the playoff for the six highest-ranked champions.
Top 4 Teams: Georgia, Michigan, TCU, and Ohio State
No. 1 Seed: Georgia
After winning the SEC last weekend, the Georgia Bulldogs are heading into the CFP with the No. 1 seed (13-0 record). They pounded the LSU Tigers in the SEC title game and have won all but one game by at least 10 points.
Georgia seems to be on a different tier than the rest of college football. The Bulldogs would likely be the favorite against any team in the nation, as they're averaging 39.2 points per game on offense and are allowing only 12.8 points per game on defense, the second-best mark nationwide.
Georgia has faced three ranked teams throughout the season and beat each of them by at least two scores. In the most anticipated game of the year against No. 1 Tennessee, the Bulldogs won 27-13.
Head coach Kirby Smart has built a strong foundation to consistently compete for the national title, and that reign won't stop soon as they continue to recruit at the highest level.
No. 2 Seed: Michigan
Michigan is poised to finish 2022 with one of the best seasons in program history.
The Wolverines are currently 13-0 after a Big Ten title win over the Purdue Boilermakers. Their back-to-back conference championships thrust them into the No. 2 spot of the CFP even though star running Blake Corum is out for the year after undergoing knee surgery.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy told reporters that the Wolverines have been able to build on last year's success. He said the team is focused on winning a national title, so the conference championship was just a step in the right direction.
There aren't many rosters more talented than Michigan's, but the Wolverines would need to put their best foot forward to compete with the top teams in the SEC. Their win against the Buckeyes cemented them as a legitimate threat to win the national title, though.