ESPN releases final College Football Playoff rankings prediction

With conference championships wrapping up on Saturday night, it’s almost time for the College Football Playoff to arrive. The committee will announce its final rankings at noon ET on Sunday, and it has plenty to think over.

Alabama defeated No. 1 Georgia in the SEC title, sending the rankings into chaos and making for plenty of fun prediction. ESPN College Football Playoff analyst Heather Dinich gave her final projections Saturday evening ahead of the reveal.

You can view Dinich’s predictions for how things will shake out for the six teams with a realistic shot at making the College Football Playoff below.

1. Michigan Wolverines (13-0)

Michigan just needed to beat Iowa the Big Ten Championship to secure its spot in the Playoff and easily took care of business in a 26-0 win. It marks the third straight season the Wolverines will make the field of four and the second straight year they ended the regular season with a undefeated record.

Both of Michigan’s previous two trips to the CFP ended in a semifinal loss, but it will aim for this time to be different as it earns the top seed. The Wolverines have the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense with 10.3 points allowed per game as well as one of the top running backs in the country in Blake Corum (976 yards and 22 TDs).

2. Washington Huskies (13-0)

Washington is back in the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2016 completing an undefeated season with a 34-31 victory against Oregon on Friday. It was the second time the Huskies defeated the Ducks this season as they got another big game from running back Dillon Johnson, who had 152 yards and two touchdowns.

Washington boasts the nation’s top passing attack behind quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who leads the FBS with 4,218 yards in addition to 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions. It will now not have to sweat things out on selection day as it should be in without a doubt.

3. Texas Longhorns (12-1)

Texas walked out of the Big 12 in style on Saturday to win handily against Oklahoma State in the conference championship, 49-21. Still, the Longhorns needed someone in front of them to lose to have a shot at making it in the Playoff.

They got just that as Alabama took down No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship, freeing up a spot for Texas to jump from No. 7 into the top four. The Longhorns have a head-to-head win against the Crimson Tide from Week 2, so logic would say they’re in as a one-loss conference champion.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1)

Many counted the Crimson Tide out following their Week 2 loss against Texas, but they continued to win every week. That culminated with a 27-24 victory against Georgia in the SEC Championship on Saturday, and now the College Football Playoff selection committee has a tough decision on its hands.

It’s still not a guarantee that Alabama will make the Playoff, as Florida State also has a case as the undefeated ACC Champion. If it does, this will mark the seventh Playoff appearance for coach Nick Saban as he is in search of his eighth national championship.

5. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1)

Georgia saw its SEC record 29-game win streak snapped on Saturday against Alabama, and it’s hope of completing a threepeat as national champs likely died with it. The Bulldogs entered the week at No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, but would be hard-pressed to make it in over other one-loss conference champions, including the Crimson Tide.

It’s still been an incredible run for Georgia over the past few years even if it does ultimately end up left out of the CFP. The Bulldogs will likely get an opportunity to compete for a New Year’s Six bowl, which isn’t a bad consolation prize.

6. Florida State Seminoles (13-0)

On the one hand, Florida State is an undefeated ACC Champion, and it’s hard to deny a resume like that. One the other hand, the Seminoles are playing without arguably their best player after quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a season-ending injury.

Down to third-string quarterback Brock Glenn in the ACC title game against Louisville, the Florida State offense simply didn’t look the same in a 16-6 victory. Glenn finished the game 8-of-21 passing for 55 yards as the Seminoles managed just 219 yards of offense. It’s clear this isn’t the team that it was when Travis was playing, and that could factor into its College Football Playoff chances.