College Football Playoff Bracket Week 14 Live Projections: Everything on the Line

We are starting the College Football Playoff bracket early in Week 14 because a host of Friday games have CFP implications. Throughout this weekend’s slate, Sports Illustrated will give an updated look at the playoff seeding and matchups.

Update at 7 a.m. ET Friday:

and this could be a weekend full of fireworks as much as it could be full of chalk.&nbsp. Sit back, relax and eat up those Thanksgiving leftovers as we have two full slates of action Friday and Saturday featuring plenty of incredible rivalry games, nearly every conference title game berth up for grabs and the College Football Playoff entering make-or-break territory for several programs on the bubble. With chilly weather in parts of the country and other potential conditions on the field, it’s shaping up to be quite the memorable weekend in the sport as the regular season comes to a close. 

Now, it’s not often that every result matters, but in Week 14, that is true. We could be down to conference winning percentage being decided by the final game of the final full Saturday of the season depending on how things go and there are a number of other scenarios that could play out which will have an eventual impact on the CFP race. Throw in a host of home underdogs and tons of coaching staffs (and players) thinking about their next move and this could be a weekend full of fireworks as much as it could be full of chalk. 

Friday’s Top 25 Schedule

Here’s how the bracket looks going into what should be an eventful holiday weekend in the sport from coast to coast.

Live Week 14 College Football Playoff Bracket

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Georgia 
5. Texas Tech
6. Oregon
7. Mississippi 
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. Virginia
12. Tulane

First Round

• Ole Miss Rebels
• No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Texas Tech
• No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Mississippi
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Quarterfinals

• Orange Bowl: No. 4 Georgia vs. winner of Ole Miss Rebels
• Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Texas A&M vs. winner of No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Texas Tech
• Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Indiana vs. winner of No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Mississippi
• Rose Bowl: Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss Rebels

Both the Green Wave and Red Raiders are in win-and-in scenarios with regard to their respective conference championship games. With a home game against one-win Charlotte, it may be O.K. to pencil in Tulane hosting the American title game and it even gets the benefit of knowing who its opponent will be with North Texas hosting Temple on Friday afternoon. Going to West Virginia can be tricky for Tech, but the team should be up for the occasion of making its first Big 12 title game and, likely, locking up a CFP game on Saturday.

No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Texas Tech 

Those graphics we get of the bracket every Tuesday continue to be misleading as both the Cavaliers and SMU are the ones who only have to win on Saturday to make it to Charlotte for the ACC title game—not No. 12 Miami. Tony Elliott has done an incredible job but can cap it off by beating Virginia Tech at home and inch closer to a first-round game. As for the Ducks, don’t discount that trip to Seattle given how bitter the rivalry is with Washington and how many injuries Dan Lanning’s program is dealing with.

No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Mississippi

Before any potential Lane Kiffin Bowl in the playoff, we need to have the Egg Bowl and a Kiffin decision on Black Friday. All eyes will be on StarkVegas to see just how well the Rebels fare on the road at their bitter rival and what, if anything, their head coach says about being the team’s head coach beyond that. The Crimson Tide are in a fairly precarious position, needing to win to lock up the trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game and keep their CFP hopes alive in the Iron Bowl.

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It sure feels like the Sooners are going to play a win-and-in game at home against an LSU that could barely get past Western Kentucky last week. On top of not losing that, Brent Venables should do everything he can to ensure Oklahoma puts up as many points as it can in order to host a CFP game because the line between the Sooners and the Irish is not a thick one. 

Orange Bowl: No. 4 Georgia

Deep down, Kirby Smart probably likes playing on Friday afternoon knowing his team can get some rest if it tops Georgia Tech and probably locks up a quarterfinal berth in the process. There’s still a chance to reach the SEC championship game, but it can’t count on the help despite this team doing pretty much everything that has been asked of it.

Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Texas A&M

It’s been great to get the Aggies fans jousting with their Texas rivals every year again, but neither team probably thought their rivalry being renewed would result in both games in 2024 and ’25 having massive SEC and CFP implications. It’s all there for the taking by Mike Elko’s team this time around, and you just know they would absolutely love to go into Austin in order to secure their first conference title berth in the league.

Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Indiana

The only question with regard to Indiana’s trip to Purdue is if Fernando Mendoza can use a Friday prime-time game to solidify a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy. Otherwise, all roads lead to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game that Curt Cignetti promised when he was hired. 

Rose Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State

Scratch out the Ms around Columbus, Ohio, because The Game has just about arrived. You want to say that the reigning national champions are ready to put their foot down on the pedal at the Big House but, after last season, all scenarios are on for the Buckeyes … and the playoff.

More College Football from Sports Illustrated

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