Saturday’s game between Alabama and Tennessee may be symbolized by one catch. Defensive cornerback Zabien Brown intercepted a pass at the Alabama endzone and then ran ninety six yards for a Tide touchdown. That was just part of the Tuscaloosa defense holding the league leading Vols to just four hundred and ten yards. Head coach Kalen DeBoer says Brown’s inception wasn’t just a lucky grab…
“It was just a smart play by ‘ZB,’ just, you know, knowing that they didn't have any timeouts, more than likely, got to throw it and just baiting and jumping it and finishing the play. Huge play for us.”
Voters with the AP Top 25 apparently were watching.
Alabama replaces Miami as a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff based on the latest rankings. Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and BYU are on the mock bracket for the first time. Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama would be the top four seeds as the Nos. 1-4 teams in the AP poll.
Alabama moved up two spots in the poll after beating Tennesee 37-20 and landed as a top-four seed on the bracket for the first time this season. The top four seeds receive a first-round bye. Georgia Tech won at Duke to go 7-0, Vanderbilt beat LSU to go 6-1 and BYU is 7-0 following a win over Utah.
Miami's loss to Louisville knocked it out of the top four but the Hurricanes remain on the bracket. Texas Tech lost at Arizona State and dropped off the bracket along with LSU and Tennessee. The Southeastern Conference would have five of the 12 teams on the bracket. The Big Ten would have three teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference would have two and the Big 12 and American one each.
Based on the AP Top 25, the CFP would open like this:
— No. 9 seed Miami at No. 8 Mississippi. Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State.
— No. 12 seed South Florida at No. 5 Georgia. Winner vs. No. 4 Alabama.
— No. 10 seed Vanderbilt at No. 7 seed Georgia Tech. Winner vs. No. 2 Indiana.
— No. 11 seed BYU at No. 6 Oregon. Winner vs. No. 3 Texas A&M.
The first three teams outside the bracket: Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 12 by the AP but would get bumped by automatically qualifying conference champion South Florida of the American.
The five highest-ranked conference champions automatically qualify for the CFP, but no longer do the four highest-ranked champions receive a first-round bye. The 12-team bracket is now seeded directly based on the CFP’s final rankings on December, 7th. The top four seeds will be assigned to quarterfinals in ranking order and in consideration of current bowl relationships. This year, quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl. The No. 1 seed would receive preferential placement based on geography.
Teams ranked Nos. 5-12 by the CFP will play in the first round, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded school. First-round games are Dec. 19 and 20, quarterfinals Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, semifinals Jan. 8 and 9 and the championship game is Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
