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Championship weekend did exactly what it was supposed to do: create chaos. With Indiana’s upset, Duke’s overtime shocker, and Georgia’s statement win, the entire playoff picture was reshuffled. The committee’s final selections reflected every bit of that drama, so let’s dive in and look at the official CFP bracket.

Letter Rip!

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The CFP Bracket

After a chaotic weekend of conference championships, the playoff bracket is finally set and for the first time all season, there’s a new No. 1. The Big Ten Championship lived up to every bit of the hype: Indiana stunned Ohio State, validating their undefeated run and knocking the Buckeyes off the top spot. The ACC title game delivered its own drama, with Duke walking off Virginia in overtime to spoil the Cavaliers’ playoff hopes. But the Blue Devils’ heroics weren’t enough to earn a spot. Instead, JMU and Tulane punched their tickets via automatic bids, while the committee awarded Miami an at-large bid to represent the ACC.

The SEC Championship offered a far simpler storyline: Georgia dismantled Alabama to lock down a first-round bye. Even so, Alabama slid into the field with three losses, a decision that ignited plenty of debate. And sure, a handful of teams had compelling playoff cases. But if the committee started punishing teams for losing a conference championship, it would only encourage them to skip the games entirely, undermining the whole tradition. Case in point: Notre Dame narrowly missed the cut and has already opted out of its bowl game.

CFP Rankings

1. Indiana (first-round bye)

2. Ohio State (first-round bye)

3. Georgia (first-round bye)

4. Texas Tech (first-round bye)

5. Oregon

6. Ole Miss

7. Texas A&M

8. Oklahoma

9. Alabama

10. Miami

11. Tulane

12. James Madison

Playoff Bracket

First Round:

• #8 Oklahoma vs. #9 Alabama — Friday, Dec. 19 (8:00 PM)

• #7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami — Saturday, Dec. 20 (12:00 PM)

• #6 Ole Miss vs. #11 Tulane — Saturday, Dec. 20 (3:30 PM)

• #5 Oregon vs. #12 JMU — Saturday, Dec. 20 (7:30 PM)

Quarterfinals:

• #2 Ohio State vs. Winner of Texas A&M/Miami — Wednesday, Dec. 31 (7:30 PM)

• #4 Texas Tech vs. Winner of Oregon/JMU — Thursday, Jan. 1 (12:00 PM)

• #1 Indiana vs. Winner of Oklahoma/Alabama — Thursday, Jan. 1 (4:00 PM)

• #3 Georgia vs. Winner of Ole Miss/Tulane — Thursday, Jan. 1 (8:00 PM)

Semifinals:

• Fiesta Bowl — Thursday, Jan. 8 (7:30 PM)

• Peach Bowl — Friday, Jan. 9 (7:30 PM)

College Football Championship:

• Hard Rock Stadium — Monday, Jan. 19 (7:30 PM)