Memphis returns to AP Top 25-based College Football Playoff bracket, top four seeds remain the same
The top four seeds remain unchanged on the College Football Playoff bracket based on The Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, but three of the four first-round matchups would change and Memphis returned as the Group of Five representative.
Only slight alterations were required on the mock bracket because the significant changes in the AP poll came toward the bottom.
Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama would be the top four seeds as the Nos. 1-4 teams in the AP poll. The top four seeds receive a first-round bye.
Miami and BYU tied for No. 10 in the poll, meaning those two teams had to be listed as possibilities to be 10th or 11th in the seeding.
The Southeastern Conference would have five of the 12 teams on the bracket. The Big Ten would have three teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference would have two and the Big 12 and American one each.
Based on the AP Top 25, the CFP would open like this:
— No. 9 seed Vanderbilt at No. 8 seed Georgia Tech. Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State.
— No. 12 seed Memphis at No. 5 Georgia. Winner vs. No. 4 Alabama.
— No. 10 seed Miami or BYU at No. 7 Mississippi. Winner vs. No. 2 Indiana.
— No. 11 seed Miami or BYU at No. 6 Oregon. Winner vs. No. 3 Texas A&M.
The first three teams outside the bracket: Notre Dame, Texas Tech and Tennessee.
The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 12 by the AP but would get bumped by automatically qualifying conference champion Memphis of the American. Memphis, which was on the Oct. 5 mock bracket, beat South Florida on Saturday and replaced the Bulls.
The five highest-ranked conference champions automatically qualify for the CFP, but no longer do the four highest-ranked champions receive a first-round bye. The 12-team bracket is now seeded directly based on the CFP’s final rankings on Dec. 7.
The top four seeds will be assigned to quarterfinals in ranking order and in consideration of current bowl relationships. This year, quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl. The No. 1 seed would receive preferential placement based on geography.
Teams ranked Nos. 5-12 by the CFP will play in the first round, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded school. First-round games are Dec. 19 and 20, quarterfinals Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, semifinals Jan. 8 and 9 and the championship game is Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The AP will publish brackets based on the weekly Top 25 until the CFP selection committee unveils its initial rankings Nov. 4.
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