Overview
- Bleacher Report’s post-Week 11 projection applies straight seeding with five automatic bids and currently slots Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Georgia Tech and North Texas as the highest-ranked conference champions.
- Notre Dame and North Texas enter the projected bracket as Virginia and Memphis fall out after Week 11 losses, while BYU drops to the back end of the seeding following its 29-7 defeat to Texas Tech.
- The Week 12 AP poll has Texas Tech up to No. 8 and BYU at No. 12, reinforcing assessments that BYU’s clearest route is winning the Big 12 title.
- Group of Five stakes tighten with a five-way tie in the American, while AP-ranked James Madison (No. 24) and South Florida (No. 25) are positioned as leading contenders for the lone G5 automatic berth.
- Key Week 12 games with bracket implications include Notre Dame at Pitt, South Florida at Navy and Memphis at East Carolina, plus Oklahoma at Alabama and Texas at Georgia for at-large positioning.