What a 12-team College Football Playoff bracket would look like with first CFP rankings

The 2023 college football has gone one for nine official weeks, which makes the games that much more meaningful, especially for those looking to climb up to near the top of the rankings. While the Associated Press unveils the Top 25 teams, fans await the rankings from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.

On Tuesday, Oct. 31, the CFP Selection Committee unveiled their first Top 25 rankings of the season. This will continue every Tuesday until the end of the Conference Championship Games, culminating in one final selection show, Selection Sunday on Dec. 3.

This season will be the last that the CFP will feature just four teams. Next year, the Playoff expands to 12 teams, which allows more programs to compete for a National Champions. More teams, more excitement.

Here is what the expanded playoff would look like after the first official rankings unveiling of the 2023 season.

College Football Playoff Rankings, Oct. 31, 2023

Below is the official CFP Top 25 rankings:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (8-0)
3. Michigan Wolverines (8-0)
4. Florida State Seminoles (8-0)
5. Washington Huskies (8-0)
6. Oregon Ducks (7-1)
7. Texas Longhorns (7-1)
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
9. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1)
10. Ole Miss Rebels (7-1)
11. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1)
12. Missouri Tigers (7-1)
13. Louisville Cardinals (7-1)
14. LSU Tigers (6-2)
15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2)
16. Oregon State Beavers (6-2)
17. Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
18. Utah Utes (6-2)
19. UCLA Bruins (6-2)
20. USC Trojans (7-2)
21. Kansas Jayhawks (6-2)
22. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2)
23. Kansas State Wildcats (6-2)
24. Tulane Green Wave (7-1)
25. Air Force Falcons (8-0)

One of the big surprises was Texas ranking ahead of Oklahoma, despite the fact that the Sooners picked up the win in their head-to-head meeting this season.

As for the battle for the No. 1 ranking, Ohio State has the edge due to the strength of schedule and wins over the likes of Notre Dame and Penn State. Michigan has had a relatively easy schedule this season, but it does get tougher down the stretch, culminating in the annual season finale against Ohio State.

What a 12-team College Football Playoff bracket would look like after first rankings reveal

• No. 1 Ohio State *
• No. 2 Georgia *
• No. 3 Florida State *
• No. 4 Washington *
• No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 Tulane *
• No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Penn State
• No. 7 Texas * vs. No. 10 Ole Miss
• No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Oklahoma

Bold denotes the top four conference champions receiving a first-round bye.
* denotes conference champions if the season were to end today

With the new format, the six highest ranked conference champions will earn an automatic bid in the Playoff. From there, there will be six at-large bid to the next highest-ranked teams. The top four teams would earn first-round byes, while the No. 5-8 seeds will host home playoff games in the first round against their respective opponents.

If the season were to end today, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida State, and Washington would earn first-round byes.

Here is what the second-round of the playoff would look like:

• No. 1 Ohio State vs. Winner of No. 8/No. 9 Game
• No. 2 Georgia vs. Winner of No. 7/No. 10 Game
• No. 3 Florida State vs. Winner of No. 6/No. 11 Game
• No. 4 Washington vs. Winner of No. 5/No. 12 Game

Once the College Football Playoff officially expands next season, expect there to be much more chaos than it has been usually with the four-team format.