In the new 12-team College Football Playoff, one conference can technically get as many as eight teams into the bracket -- an unlikely scenario, but something the rules allow. Georgia coach Kirby Smart told ESPN last month it "would be awesome to get four" teams from the SEC into the field.
"I think that would be shooting the moon," he said, "and three is probably more realistic."
It's our turn to try to shoot the moon and predict the historic, inaugural 12-team CFP field. In the new playoff system, the five highest-ranked conference champions will earn a chance to compete for the national title along with the next seven highest-ranked teams.
"In the Big Ten we have to go to someone else's stadium in our league five times and duke it out," Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. "But I think we'll have a lot of access to the College Football Playoff. I think four teams from this league should get in every year because this is the best league. This is the NFL of college football, in my mind."
It's impossible to know in August what Selection Day will look like on Dec. 8, but that's not going to stop us from trying.
Every. Single. Week.
Welcome to the CFP Bubble Watch, which will be updated every week during the season. The preseason edition includes the predicted 12-team bracket, who gets first-round byes, the first four out, the next four out, and how the Group of 5 conference champions will stack up.
Jump to a topic:
Byes | First-round matchups
First four out | Next four out
Group of 5
Projected 12-team bracket
First-round byes
No. 1 seed Georgia Bulldogs: The Bulldogs will earn the top seed as the winner of the SEC and the highest-ranked conference champion. This is based on Georgia also being the selection committee's No. 1 team in its final ranking on Selection Day. According to ESPN Analytics, Georgia has the best chance (47%) of any team to reach the SEC title game. What separates the Bulldogs from everyone else, though, is that they are projected to rank in the top three in offense and defense. Veteran quarterback Carson Beck will lead an offense that reloaded with some help from the transfer portal, and the Bulldogs' defense has been the most dominant in the country over the past three seasons. Georgia returns three of its top five tacklers from last year.