College Football Playoff Bracket if 2022 Season Ended Today

A tense and exciting week of college football nearly threw the College Football Playoff landscape into chaos. Michigan almost tumbled at home to Illinois, and TCU needed a thrilling last-second field goal to escape Waco unbeaten. Ultimately, the top four remained the same, while the “next in line” teams saw a significant shuffle.

What would that bracket look like if the season ended today?

College Football Playoff Bracket

The first semifinal would pit the No. 1 team in the country and the defending champions, Georgia Bulldogs, against No. 4 Texas Christian University. Georgia was hardly dominant at Kentucky but won 16-6, finishing unbeaten in conference play for the second straight season. That is an accomplishment in any conference, but especially the SEC. The positive from the Kentucky game is that Georgia ran for 247 yards with 5.4 yards per carry. The negative is that they only threw for 116 yards. That could be by design, but the Bulldogs will need more from Stetson Bennett if they are to repeat as champions. They close the regular season with a resurgent Georgia Tech squad that just beat North Carolina, and then they’ll play LSU in the SEC Championship Game on December 3. If they win out, the math is simple, and Georgia will be the first seed.

The fourth seed is a newcomer to the playoff, and they stay at No. 4 after winning a thriller in Waco over Baylor. The Horned Frogs looked dead in the water as they trailed by eight and were missing multiple offensive stars. Max Duggan led them to a touchdown, but they failed the two-point conversion and needed a stop. The defense got Duggan the ball back. He completed a few passes and had a pivotal scramble to get them into field goal range. Head coach Sonny Dykes opted to run the ball despite not having any timeouts, and the field goal unit scrambled on, snapping the ball with four seconds remaining. The 40-yard field goal sailed through the uprights, and TCU’s perfect season survived. They now play Iowa State at home and Kansas State or Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. 

The other semifinal would feature the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes against archrival and third-seed Michigan Wolverines. As amazing as a playoff matchup between the two would be, this game will not happen. The regular season finale between these two teams is essentially a playoff play-in game. The winner is probably the second seed, and the loser will probably be just outside the College Football Playoff.

Let’s look at the teams waiting to swoop in and take the loser’s spot in one of these semifinal games.

Tennessee appeared to be in an excellent position, but they entered a challenging environment at night in Columbia and got blasted by the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Volunteers gave up 63 points, the most they have surrendered since the 1890s (that is not a typo). Their playoff chances evaporated, and they plummeted from No. 5. USC knocked off UCLA in a great game late Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. The Trojans are now 10-1 with a match against the ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and then the PAC-12 Championship Game. If USC wins both of those games, Lincoln Riley will likely lead them to the playoff in Year One. 

LSU has a shot despite having two losses. They are playing well and could have a chance to become the first two-loss team in the College Football Playoff. Hypothetically, let’s say the Tigers win at Texas A&M and then knock off Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. One of Michigan or Ohio State would have a loss, and LSU would have a couple of wins better than anything others would have on the resume.

Things are far from settled, but the teams in the top four know that if they keep winning, their place at the table is secured.

When is the 2022 College Football Playoff?

The semifinals will occur at the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The first contest will begin at 4:00 p.m. ET and the second game will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET so that you can ring in the New Year with the four best teams in the country. The semifinal winners will battle for the National Championship on January 9, 2023.