Top matchups to watch in projected College Football Playoffs bracket

As a Falcons fan, which teams should you keep a keen eye on?

The first iteration of the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is only 30 days away. On December 20, we will have our first taste of the future of college football. Twelve teams, fully loaded and ready to compete for the nation’s top prize.

After years of opt-outs and wishing we could see these big-time matchups between top prospects with the lights shining the brightest, college football fans get their wish.

This week’s CFP Rankings have shaken up a tad, as the then-12th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs took down the then-7th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to steal the final at-large bid and knock Tennessee to the first team out.

Now, the top 12 are as follows:

1) Oregon (1^st seed)

2) Ohio State (5^th seed)

3) Texas (2^nd seed)

4) Penn State (6^th seed)

5) Indiana (7^th seed)

6) Notre Dame (8^th seed)

7) Alabama (9^th seed)

8) Miami (3^rd seed)

9) Ole Miss (10^th seed)

10) Georgia (11^th seed)

11) Tennessee (1^st team out)

12) Boise State (4^th seed)

13) SMU (2^nd team out)

14) BYU (12^th seed)

With the top four seeds (Oregon, Texas, Miami & Boise State) all grabbing byes, that leaves eight teams giving us four marquee matchups, as listed below:

· (12) BYU vs. (5) Ohio State

· (11) Georgia vs. (6) Penn State

· (10) Ole Miss vs. (7) Indiana

· (9) Alabama vs. (8) Notre Dame

All four of these games have a key matchup for a 2025 NFL draft prospect who cannot only help will their team to victory, but possibly make a little money as they wait to hear their name called in April. Who knows, there might even be a future Falcon or two in the mix.

(12) BYU vs. (5) Ohio State

Matchup to Watch: Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau vs. BYU’s offensive line

That loss to Kansas hurt BYU’s chances of snagging that final first-round bye in the playoffs. This can come in handy with teams like Indiana, Penn State, and Notre Dame lurking around the fifth seed.

But Ohio State has to be one of the worst draws a team looking for a week off can get. The combination of Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, two relentless, powerful pass rushers, is enough to make any offensive line feel a bit nervous.

The Buckeyes rank sixth in the country in passing yards allowed and are one of only six teams to not let up 100 yards rushing per game. That starts up front…which could make for a long day for a BYU offense that is steadily struggling to find consistent offense as of late.

(11) Georgia vs. (6) Penn State

Matchup to Watch: Drew Allar vs. Georgia defense

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: This Georgia Bulldogs defense is nothing to play with.

Smael Mondon Jr. and Jalon Walker in the middle, Mykel Williams coming off the edge with guys like Daylen Everette and the uber-athletic Malaki Starks to solidify the back end. Georgia is a dangerous squad that ranks sixth in the country in EPA allowed/dropback per CollegeFootballInsiders.com.

Drew Allar is starting to find his stride and has been showing glimpses throughout the season as to why he could contend to be a top quarterback in this draft if he comes out. Will Allar come out this year? It’s possible, the class simply isn’t that strong and a great showing in matchups like this hypothetical against Georgia could make that decision to stay in Happy Valley that much tougher.

(10) Ole Miss vs. (7) Indiana

Matchup to Watch: Kurtis Rourke vs. Ole Miss defense

The Ole Miss front seven is a lethal combination of transfer talent, headed by the edge rush duo of Princely Umanmielen and Jared Ivey. Captained by the middle linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr, the Rebels are first in the country in total sacks and tackles for loss.

As much as I would love to see Lane Kiffin’s high-powered offense against this Indiana defense, the matchup of Kurtis Rourke, who is currently third in the country in passer rating, against this defense is too much to pass up.

The synchronicity of head coach Curt Cignetti and Rourke has been apparent and has gotten the best we’ve seen out of the Super-Senior.

(9) Alabama vs. (8) Notre Dame

Matchup to Watch: Alabama’s interior offensive line vs. Notre Dame’s interior defensive line

Alabama has three NFL-caliber interior linemen in center Parker Brailsford and guards Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts. The Crimson Tide have the second-best EPA/rush generated behind only Ashton Jeanty and Boise State.

On the other side, Notre Dame’s trio of Howard Cross III, Rylie Mills and RJ Oben have been giving offenses fits all year. The Fighting Irish have allowed the sixth-least yards per game and the third-least points per game behind this combination of back-end talent (*cough* Benjamin Morrison *cough*) and front-end tenacity.

Seeing these two heavyweights slug it out for a chance at keeping their national championship hopes alive is the stuff of legend.