Who will host CFP games? Current Ohio State bracket predictions

Ohio State is just a day away from learning its fate in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes are ranked No. 6 in the selection committee’s penultimate ranking. It was the first time the Buckeyes fell since debuting at No. 2 in the first ranking four weeks ago.

The Buckeyes’ No. 6 ranking means they would be the fourth-highest overall team and seeded No. 8 in the expanded 12-team field. That would give the Buckeyes a home game.

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USA TODAY projects Oregon, Texas, SMU and Arizona State to currently receive first-round byes, but this weekend’s conference championship games could change that.

Will Ohio State play a home game in the College Football Playoff?

With nine Bowl Subdivision Conference championship games being played this weekend, a lot can change.

Most predictions have Ohio State playing a home game. Notre Dame, Georgia and Penn State (or Oregon, if Penn State wins the Big Ten Championship on Saturday) are also expected to play at home.

Here are some notable predictions for the Buckeyes:

USA TODAY: Home vs. Indiana

ESPN: Home vs. Tennessee

New York Times: Home vs. Indiana

NCAA.com: Home vs. Tennessee

Yahoo Sports: Home vs. Tennessee

Sports Illustrated: Home vs. Tennessee

Bleacher Report: Home vs. Tennessee

Here’s how to watch the final reveal of the CFP bracket

The nine Bowl Subdivision conference championship games played on Friday and Saturday will finally settle the debate before the playoff selection committee announces the final rankings early Sunday afternoon.

The field will be announced Sunday at noon on ESPN.

Who could Ohio State play?

Here is USA TODAY’s latest prediction for 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)

According to USA TODAY’s predictions, the Buckeyes would have this path:

First round: against Indiana.

Quarterfinals: vs. Oregon

Semifinal: against the winner of Notre Dame/Alabama against Arizona State

Other first round games:

Alabama at Notre Dame
Tennessee, Georgia
Boise State and Penn State

However, some predictions, including ESPN and NCAA.com, have the Buckeyes playing Tennessee at home.

According to ESPN’s predictions, the Buckeyes would have this path:

First round: against Tennessee.

Quarterfinals: vs. Oregon

Semifinal: vs. the winner of Arizona State/Penn State vs. Boise State

Other first round games:

Alabama at Notre Dame
Indiana in Georgia
Arizona State at Penn State

The Penn State factor

Penn State is ahead of Ohio State even though the Buckeyes won on the Nittany Lions’ field this season. But Penn State plays Oregon in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday.

If Penn State loses convincingly, Ohio State could overtake them in the final rankings. If so, it’s possible the Buckeyes could find a path to the Finals that doesn’t involve No. 1 Oregon.

What are the current CFP rankings?

Here’s a complete look at the CFP Top 25 from the rankings released Tuesday 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

Teams to watch

Here are four teams to watch in the final standings, according to USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg:

army

The Black Knights’ chances of making the playoffs are slim given the ranked matchup between Boise State and UNLV to settle the Mountain West. Army could have taken the lead in the Group of Five by beating Notre Dame two weeks ago. Another way out was blocked when Tulane lost to Memphis, robbing the Black Knights of a potential ranking victory.

South Carolina

In the end, the Gamecocks won’t be able to make up for the losses to Alabama and Mississippi. These head-to-head results overshadowed a strong run in the second half of the regular season that included three wins over ranked opponents.

Miami

Miami’s chances of making the playoffs are slim to none after losing to Syracuse and being eliminated from the ACC title game. This put to rest a question that had arisen throughout the conference: Could the Hurricanes make the playoffs with an 11-2 loss to SMU? Obviously, any chance the ACC had of sending two teams into the bracket was dashed by Miami’s second loss.

Indiana

The Hoosiers benefited from some anarchy in the SEC and remained a solid playoff bet even after a lopsided loss to Ohio State in November. But Indiana also earned that chance by dominating nearly every team on this year’s schedule, closing the game with a 66-0 win over rival Purdue.

Ranking Ohio State’s potential 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 ranked list of opponents the Buckeyes could face en route to the title game:

Oregon. According to the teams’ current rankings, the Buckeyes would face No. 1 Oregon in the second round after the Ducks took a break following a bye week.
Notre Dame. USA TODAY predicts the Irish will first play Alabama at home and then take on Arizona State. A win over Arizona State would send Notre Dame to the semifinals against an Ohio State-Oregon winner.
Alabama.
Tennessee or Indiana. Home advantage could be an important 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.

More:Why Ohio State is ahead of Tennessee in the second-to-last College Football Playoff rankings

When are the CFP games?

The first round games will take place on campus on December 20th and 21st. There will be one game on December 20th and three on December 21st. The times have not yet been determined.

The schedule for the quarterfinals:

December 31: Evening game at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

January 1: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl (late afternoon), Allstate Sugar Bowl (evening).

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The schedule for the semi-finals:

January 9: Capital One Orange Bowl (evening)

January 10: Goodyear Cotton Bowl (evening)

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National Championship:

January 20: at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Final CFP rankings date

The sixth and final unveiling will take place on Sunday afternoon.

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Who will host CFP games? Current Ohio State bracket predictions

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