Opta supercomputer picks 12-team CFP bracket, keeps Notre Dame as No. 1 seed for third straight week
Notre Dame stays atop projection
The Opta supercomputer ranks FBS teams and assigns each a Playoff Potential score estimating its chances of reaching the 12-team field. With three regular-season weeks remaining, 10 of its 12 projected playoff teams also appear in the committee’s bracket.
Notre Dame remains the computer’s No. 1 seed for a third consecutive week. It kept the Fighting Irish there after they defeated Miami, which had been the committee’s top-ranked team the previous week.
Both systems place Georgia, Utah, Alabama, UCLA and Notre Dame among their top five, but arrange them differently. The committee’s order is Georgia, Utah, Alabama, UCLA and Notre Dame; the computer places Notre Dame first, followed by Georgia, Alabama, Utah and UCLA.
Two unexpected projected teams
Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, Miami and Boise State also appear in both projected fields. The computer’s most striking choices include Wake Forest at No. 6, one place ahead of Miami.
Wake Forest has won six consecutive games. Its last five victories came by a combined 264-31, including a 77-0 win over FCS Merrimack; the committee ranks the Demon Deacons 13th.
The computer’s No. 11 seed is Iowa. The Hawkeyes have won two straight and three of their last four, including a 30-0 victory over then-No. 25 Wisconsin and a win at Northwestern. Their remaining schedule includes Purdue, a trip to Illinois and Nebraska.
Kentucky and Big 12 gaps
Kentucky is the clearest disagreement between the systems. The committee ranks the Wildcats 11th, while the computer puts them 27th, outside its top 25, after Tennessee defeated them.
The committee includes six Big 12 teams in its top 25, compared with four for the computer. The committee’s projected field includes No. 3 Utah and No. 10 BYU; it also ranks Texas Tech 12th, Houston 14th, Arizona 23rd and Oklahoma State 25th.
Utah is the only Big 12 team in the computer’s top 14. It ranks Houston 15th, Arizona 21st and Oklahoma State 25th, while placing Texas Tech 28th.
Key points
- The computer has projected Notre Dame as its No. 1 seed for three straight weeks.
- Ten of the computer’s 12 projected playoff teams also appear in the committee’s bracket.
- Wake Forest is the computer’s No. 6 seed, while the committee ranks it 13th.
- Kentucky is 11th in the committee rankings and 27th in the computer’s list.