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Forde: College Football Playoff Projected Bracket After Week 6

Miami’s body of work gets the nod over Ohio State, while Oregon is close behind and the SEC is well represented.

Pat Forde

Miami wide receiver CJ Daniels scores a touchdown against Florida State defensive back Jerry Wilson.
Miami wide receiver CJ Daniels scores a touchdown against Florida State defensive back Jerry Wilson. / Robert Myers-Imagn Images
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If the season ended today—and thankfully it doesn’t—this is how I would select and seed the College Football Playoff bracket. Three teams have separated themselves at the top, with Miami adding a road win over a longtime rival to its body of work. Ohio State and Oregon are close behind. 

After them, it gets muddy. There are five SEC teams in the bracket at present, but it’s hard to decide which one is best. For now, give the nod to Oklahoma, which is probably going into Red River with its backup quarterback.

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College Football Playoff Projections After Week 6

  1. Miami
  2. Ohio State
  3. Oregon
  4. Oklahoma
  5. Indiana
  6. Texas A&M
  7. Ole Miss
  8. Texas Tech
  9. Alabama
  10. Georgia
  11. Georgia Tech
  12. Memphis
Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. throws a pass.
Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. is filling in for the injured John Mateer. / NATE BILLINGS/FOR THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

First-Round Games

  • No. 12 Memphis at No. 5 Indiana
  • No. 11 Georgia Tech at No. 6 Texas A&M
  • No. 10 Georgia at No. 7 Ole Miss
  • No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Texas Tech

Quarterfinals

  • Sugar Bowl: No. 4 Oklahoma vs. winner of No. 12 Memphis at No. 5 Indiana
  • Cotton Bowl: No. 3 Oregon vs. winner of No. 11 Georgia Tech at No. 6 Texas A&M
  • Rose Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. winner of No. 10 Georgia at No. 7 Ole Miss
  • Orange Bowl: No. 1 Miami vs. winner of No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Texas Tech

Teams Also Considered

  • BYU
  • Missouri
  • Tennessee
  • LSU
  • Michigan
  • Illinois
  • Arizona State
  • Virginia
  • Navy
  • South Florida

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Pat Forde
PAT FORDE

Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who covers college football and college basketball as well as the Olympics and horse racing. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Forde has won 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, has been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and member of the Football Writers Association of America, he lives in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.

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