By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Will it be Tennessee? Indiana? Or someone else?
Ohio State, which missed out on a spot in the Big Ten football championship game, now waits to find out who its opponent will be in the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
In the selection committee’s penultimate rankings, the Buckeyes are No. 6. It was the first time the Buckeyes dropped since debuting at No. 2 in the initial rankings four weeks ago.
The Buckeyes’ No. 6 ranking means the they would be the fourth-highest ranked at-large team and seeded No. 8 in the expanded 12-team field. That would give the Buckeyes a home game.
As of now, Oregon, Texas, SMU and Arizona State are projected by USA TODAY to get first-round byes, but this weekend’s conference championship games could change that.
Ohio State is projected to be one of four host teams in this first round, joining Notre Dame, Georgia and Penn State.
How to watch final CFP bracket reveal
The nine Bowl Subdivision conference championship games set to be played on Friday and Saturday will settle the debate once and for all before the playoff selection committee unveils the final rankings early on Sunday afternoon.
The field will be announced at noon Sunday on ESPN.
Who might Ohio State play?
Here is USA TODAY’s latest projection of the 12-team CFP field:
- Oregon (12-0)
- Texas (11-1)
- SMU (11-1)
- Arizona State (10-2)
- Notre Dame (11-1)
- Penn State (11-1)
- Georgia (10-2)
- Ohio State (10-2)
- Indiana (11-1)
- Tennessee (10-2)
- Boise State (10-2)
- Alabama (9-3)
Using USA TODAY’s projections, the Buckeyes would have this road:
First round: vs. Indiana.
Quarterfinals: vs. Oregon
Semifinals: vs. the winner of Notre Dame/Alabama vs. Arizona State
Other first-round games:
- Alabama at Notre Dame
- Tennessee at Georgia
- Boise State at Penn State
But some projections, including ESPN and NCAA.com, have the Buckeyes opening at home against Tennessee.
Using ESPN’s projections, the Buckeyes would have this road:
First round: vs. Tennessee.
Quarterfinals: vs. Oregon
Semifinals: vs. the winner of Arizona State/Penn State vs. Boise State
Other first-round games:
- Alabama at Notre Dame
- Indiana at Georgia
- Arizona State at Penn State
The Penn State factor
Penn State is ranked ahead of Ohio State even though the Buckeyes won on the Nittany Lions’ field this season. But Penn State is playing Oregon in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday.
If Penn State loses convincingly, Ohio State could jump over them in the final rankings. If so, it’s possible the Buckeyes could land an path to the final that doesn’t include No. 1 Oregon.
What are the current CFP rankings?
Here’s a full look at the CFP top 25 from Tuesday’s rankings release by the CFP selection committee:
- Oregon
- Texas
- Penn State
- Notre Dame
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- SMU
- Indiana
- Boise State
- Alabama
- Miami
- Ole Miss
- South Carolina
- Arizona State
- Iowa State
- Clemson
- BYU
- Missouri
- UNLV
- Illinois
- Syracuse
- Colorado
- Army
- Memphis
What College Football Playoff fans (probably) think of new rankings
After the last CFP rankings before the field is set, Before The Snap shares a joking take on the latest rankings from the fans’ perspective.
Teams to watch
According to USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg, here are four teams to watch in the final rankings:
Army
The Black Knights’ odds of reaching the playoff low given the ranked matchup between Boise State and UNLV to settle the Mountain West. Army could’ve moved into the lead in the Group of Five by upsetting Notre Dame two weeks ago. Another avenue closed when Tulane lost to Memphis, robbing the Black Knights of a potential ranked win.
South Carolina
In the end, the Gamecocks will be unable to overcome losses to the Alabama and Mississippi. Those head-to-head results overshadowed a torrid run through the second half of the regular season that included three wins against ranked competition.
Miami
Miami’s chances of reaching the playoff come in somewhere between slim and none after losing to Syracuse to fall out of the ACC title game. That erased one question that loomed over the conference: Could the Hurricanes get into the playoff at 11-2 with a loss to SMU? Obviously, any chance the ACC had of sending two teams into the bracket were evaporated by Miami’s second loss.
Indiana
The Hoosiers benefited from some anarchy in the SEC to stay a rock-solid playoff pick even after November’s one-sided loss to Ohio State. But Indiana also earned this chance by dominating nearly every team on this year’s schedule, closing things out with a 66-0 rout of rival Purdue.
Ranking Ohio State’s possible opponents
The general consensus is that Ohio State will face either Indiana or Tennessee in the first round, in Columbus.
If so, here is a ranking of opponents the Buckeyes could face along the way to the title game:
- Oregon. The way teams are ranked now, the Buckeyes would face No. 1 Oregon in the second round, with the Ducks having rested after a bye week.
- Notre Dame. The Irish are projected by USA TODAY to open at home against Alabama, then face Arizona State. A win over Arizona State would put Notre Dame in the semifinals vs. an Ohio State-Oregon winner.
- Alabama.
- Tennessee or Indiana. Home-field advantage could be a big factor for the Buckeyes in this matchup.
- Arizona State. OSU would face the Sun Devils if ASU beats the winner of Notre Dame and Alabama.
When are the CFP games?
The first-round games, held on campuses are Dec. 20 and 21. There will be one game on Dec. 20 and three on Dec. 21. Times have not been set.
The quarterfinals schedule:
Dec. 31: Evening game at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
Jan. 1: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl (late afternoon), Allstate Sugar Bowl (evening).
The semifinals schedule:
Jan. 9: Capital One Orange Bowl (evening)
Jan. 10: Goodyear Cotton Bowl (evening)
National championship:
Jan. 20: at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Final CFP rankings date
The sixth and final reveal will be at noon Sunday.
How many teams are in College Football Playoff?
This is the first year of a 12-team playoff. The top four seeds get byes, with seed Nos. 5-8 will host first-round games.
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