Current CFP rankings would set up 'Cristobal Bowl' in first round of playoff

If the College Football Playoff kicked off today, Miami's first trip would make for some great theater. Tuesday night's CFP rankings kept Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Georgia in the top four, with Oregon at No. 6 and Miami up to No. 12 after its road win at Virginia Tech. When those rankings were revealed, one first-round matchup jumped off the page: No. 11 seed Miami at No. 6 seed Oregon in Eugene, with the winner advancing to face No. 3 Texas A&M.

The Cristobal Bowl

The five highest-ranked conference champions get automatic bids, and the next seven highest-ranked teams fill out the 12-team field. The top four conference champs receive byes, while seeds 5 through 12 play on campus in the first round. Because Miami is currently the highest-ranked ACC team, the projection treats the Hurricanes as the ACC champion in this hypothetical, which bumps them into the 11 seed and sets up a cross-country trip to Autzen Stadium.

Even though Miami has low odds to make the ACC title game, it is still fun to think about the possibilities. The Canes certainly still have a chance to make the CFP without even making the conference championship game.

No. 6 Oregon Ducks

The Ducks improved to 10-1 with a statement 42-27 win over USC last weekend, behind 257 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Dante Moore and 104 rushing yards from running back Noah Whittington. That victory, one of the few ranked-on-ranked matchups of Week 13, helped Oregon jump Ole Miss to No. 6 in the new rankings and tightened its grip on a home playoff game if it finishes the job at Washington this weekend.

No. 11 Miami Hurricanes

Miami, meanwhile, has been steadily climbing back into the national picture. The Hurricanes are 9-2 after a 34-17 win at Virginia Tech in which Carson Beck threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns, pushing Miami up to No. 12 in the CFP and swapping spots with Utah. Miami still needs a win over Pitt and some help in the standings to even reach Charlotte, but they are squarely in the discussion for a playoff berth.

The Mario Cristobal factor

Mario Cristobal helped build Oregon during his four seasons in Eugene, going 35-13, winning back-to-back Pac-12 titles in 2019 and 2020 and capping a 12-win season with a Rose Bowl victory before leaving for his alma mater in 2021. A first-round trip to Autzen would pit Cristobal against a program he helped, as now he would be trying to knock the Ducks out on behalf of the school where he once played offensive tackle.