Finally, conference championship week exposed that some so-called ranked teams just aren’t built for big games like they claim. You can’t hide behind a weak schedule and expect to be called the No. 1 team in the country. It also gave SEC fans a hypothetical win in their long-running argument that Ohio State plays an “easy cupcake schedule,” especially after the Buckeyes’ shocking 13-10 loss to Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers.

Alabama didn’t help itself either, getting embarrassed 28-7 by Georgia in the SEC Championship, a loss that puts their playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. Kalani Sitake’s BYU also hurt its chances with a blowout loss to No. 4 Texas Tech, which likely knocks them out of the 12-team CFP bracket. With Alabama slipping, Miami suddenly has a path back into the playoff conversation, but there’s still the question of whether they’ll stay ranked behind Notre Dame even though they beat the Irish earlier this season.

Meanwhile, the ACC could be completely shut out of the playoff depending on how things finish. If Duke beats Virginia, it technically opens the door for the ACC to miss the CFP entirely. James Madison would likely slide into the field alongside Tulane as the top Group of 5 teams. Duke and Virginia, both sitting at 7–5 and locked in a tight overtime battle, won’t factor into the playoff no matter who wins, neither team has the résumé to get in. With championship week on the books, let’s predict the final 12 playoff bracket.

Final top 12 College football playoff bracket:

First-round bye

1. Indiana Hoosiers (13-0)

Curt Cignetti can now proudly trademark his iconic “Google me, I win” slogan. The soon-to-be No. 1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers busted the “untouchable” myth created by the Ohio State Buckeyes and secured their first Big Ten championship since 1967 in just his second year. Not only that, Fernando Mendoza separated himself from Julian Sayin in the eyes of Heisman voters. With this dub, the Hoosiers will find themselves headed to the Rose Bowl with a first-round bye.

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2. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1)

The Georgia Bulldogs just beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 28-7 in the SEC Championship to win their second straight title. This win is enough to lock them in as the No. 2 seed. The game wasn’t even close, with Georgia’s defense completely manhandling Alabama’s offense, and now the Bulldogs are basically guaranteed a first-round bye. The Bulldogs now celebrate their big victory and prepare for a quarterfinal matchup in the Sugar Bowl.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1)

Even though that defeat cost them a shot at the top spot and an undefeated season, most college football insiders still believe the Buckeyes will land comfortably as the No. 3 seed. Doubt the committee will drop them below No. 3. The committee will give them the benefit of the doubt for losing a close game against the Hoosiers. All thanks to Jayden Fielding.

Indiana held the Buckeyes’ running corps to just 58 yards and racked up five sacks. Mind you, Ohio State is still Ohio State. The Buckeyes will most likely head to the Cotton Bowl after a very well-deserved first-round bye.

4. Texas Tech (12-1, Big 12 champions)

Cody Campbell’s investment is paying off with the team earning a premium first-round bye. Joey McGuire’s Texas Tech Red Raiders have clinched their first outright Big 12 title since 1955. The defense completely locked down BYU after the first quarter. Jacob Rodriguez’s defense forced four turnovers after the Cougars jumped out to an early lead. Texas Tech will probably host a quarterfinal playoff game in Dallas or elsewhere, giving them a real shot to compete for a natty in January. Meanwhile, BYU has to wait to see if it makes it into the playoffs with a wild-card spot.

5. Oregon Ducks (11-1) vs 12. JMU Dukes (12-1, Sun Belt champion)

It looks like the No. 5 Oregon Ducks will host the No. 12 James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Oregon gets the home-field advantage as a top-eight seed, while James Madison, aka Sun Belt champs, will be making a tough trip to Eugene as one of the lower-ranked conference champions. The Ducks’ offense is hanging around 40 points per game on opponents’ heads.

After their lone loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, the Ducks tightened up and have allowed just 14.5 points per game since. Plus, Autzen is pretty much the last place the Dukes would want to play. Oregon has won 22 of their last 23 games under Dan Lanning’s supremacy. This matchup has a strong chance to be the biggest mismatch of the 12-team playoff era.

6. Ole Miss Rebels (11-1) vs 11. Tulane Green Wave (11-2)

The Rebels finally made the playoff, but, they will be doing it without Lane Kiffin. The Rebels are the easy favorite to make the quarterfinals. But with Lane’s departure, it might not be as easy-peasy as it was the first time around. Jon Sumrall is still coaching the team, and the Green Wave’s defense gave hell to the No. 1 offense in the country, holding North Texas to a season-low 21 points in the AAC title game. The Rebels will welcome the Green Wave at home. A little reminder: Ole Miss crushed Tulane 45–10 earlier this season.

7. Texas A&M Aggies (11-1) vs 10. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-3)

Alabama vs Texas A&M or known as the battle of two bottlers. All due respect to the Hurricanes and Mario Cristobal, Miami just isn’t good enough or consistent enough to be in the same tier as the other 12 playoff teams. Despite putting up their worst performance of the season, if Alabama ends up missing the College Football Playoff, it could send a message to other teams that playing in a conference championship game is actually risky. It would create a chance to exploit a loophole. Alabama made it all the way to the SEC title game, but their bad loss might knock them out of the playoff picture.

Meanwhile, teams like Miami or Texas didn’t have to take that extra risk in a championship game. A&M will host the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide in College Station, giving the Aggies that sweet home-field advantage. This will likely be another low-scoring game.

8) Oklahoma Sooners (10-2) vs 9. Notre Dame (10-2)

Not many folks want the Irish here, especially when you think about that head-to-head loss to the Miami Hurricanes. Mind you, both of their losses came by a combined three points against two former top-three programs. Since then, Notre Dame has been one of the best teams in the country, easily. They’ve won 10 straight games, all by double-digit margins, including USC. Now they’re heading to Norman to play Brent Venables’ Sooners.

This game pits one of the nation’s best defenses against an elite offense. The Sooners’ defense is allowing just 13.9 points per game. On the flip side, Notre Dame’s offense has been putting up 40+ per game. It’ll be fascinating to see how Oklahoma’s defense gets out of this one.