Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia and Notre Dame would be the top four seeds in the College Football Playoff based on the preseason AP Top 25 poll with Texas, Indiana, Miami and Texas A&M hosting first-round games.
The five highest-ranked conference champions — from the Power Four and one from the Group of Six — will qualify for the CFP. The other seven spots will be filled by the next highest-ranked teams. One of those at-large teams will be Notre Dame if the Irish are among the top 12 in the CFP's final rankings.
The first poll-based bracket includes five teams from the Southeastern Conference, three from the Big Ten, one from Atlantic Coast Conference, one from the Big 12, one from the Pac-12 and one independent.
Teams seeded Nos. 5-12 by the CFP will play in the first round, with the higher seeds hosting the lower either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded school.
With the removal of historic tie-ins from the bowl assignment process beginning this season, the CFP Management Committee approved a format in which the top three seeds, in rank order, select their bowl path in the playoff.
First-round games are Dec. 18 and 19, quarterfinals Dec. 30 and Jan. 1, semifinals Jan. 14 and 15 and the championship game is Jan. 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Based on the AP rankings, the CFP would open like this:
— No. 9 seed Mississippi at No. 8 Texas A&M. Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State.
— No. 12 seed Boise State at No. 5 Texas. Winner vs. No. 4 Notre Dame.
— No. 10 seed Oklahoma at No. 7 seed Miami. Winner vs. No. 2 Oregon.
— No. 11 seed Texas Tech at No. 6 Indiana. Winner vs. No. 3 Georgia.
The first three teams outside the bracket: LSU, Alabama and BYU.
The Tigers are ranked No. 11 by the AP but would get bumped by Texas Tech and Boise State. Texas Tech, at No. 12 in the AP poll, is the highest-ranked Big 12 team. Boise State of the revamped Pac-12 would be the automatically qualifying Group of Six champion. Boise State is not in the AP Top 25 but is the Group of Six team that received the most votes.
The AP will publish brackets based on the weekly Top 25 until the CFP selection committee unveils its initial rankings Nov. 3.
___
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here