The much-anticipated preseason Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll has been released, less than two weeks before the commencement of the 2024 college football season. The poll features familiar faces at the top, with Georgia securing the No.1 spot, followed by Ohio State at No.2, Oregon at No.3, Texas at No.4, and Alabama at No.5. However, this preseason stands out from previous years due to the expansion of the College Football Playoff (CFP) from four to twelve teams, offering more teams an opportunity to compete for a national championship.

With the first rankings of the year from the AP Top 25 poll now available, fans and analysts are eager to envision how a twelve-team playoff might unfold using these rankings as a reference point. Although the AP Top 25 poll changes weekly, it serves as a valuable starting point to understand the potential dynamics of a twelve-team playoff format.

As a reminder, the CFP committee will automatically grant playoff bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions. The remaining seven spots will be filled by at-large selections determined by the committee. The top four conference champions will receive first-round byes, which may not align directly with their rankings in the AP Top 25 poll.

For this article's purpose, it is assumed that the highest-ranked team from each conference will emerge victorious in their respective conferences. For instance, Ohio State is considered the Big Ten champion in this hypothetical scenario, while Oregon becomes the first team to receive an at-large selection. With the Pac-12 reduced to just two teams this year, a Group of Five team will secure the fifth conference champion spot in this playoff. Since there were no Group of Five teams featured in the preseason Top 25, Boise State is chosen as the representative due to receiving the most votes among G5 teams (47 votes, equivalent to the No.28 ranking).

Missouri, ranked No.11, and LSU, ranked No.13, find themselves as the first and second teams respectively to miss out on this projected playoff seeding.

Teams receiving first-round byes: No.1 Georgia, No.2 Ohio State, No.3 Florida State, and No.4 Utah.

Explanation: While Georgia and Ohio State maintain their rankings as seeds in this hypothetical scenario, Florida State (No.10 in AP poll) and Utah (No.12) receive significant boosts due to their presumed conference championships in the ACC and Big 12 respectively.

First-round matchups on December 20th and December 21st:

No.5 Oregon vs. No.12 Boise State:
Winner advances to face No.4 Utah.

Explanation: Oregon is the highest-ranked non-conference champion in this scenario, earning them the No.5 seed. Boise State is recognized as one of the most talented Group of Five teams this preseason, but they face Oregon in Eugene during Week 2. If Boise State can maintain an unblemished record against their remaining opponents, the committee will need to weigh whether to include them in the playoff over potential undefeated teams like Liberty.

No.6 Texas vs. No.11 Michigan:
Winner advances to face No.3 Florida State.

Explanation: This matchup represents a rematch from their regular-season encounter in Ann Arbor during the second week. However, in this hypothetical rematch, the game would be played in Austin.

No.7 Alabama vs. No.10 Penn State:
Winner advances to face No.2 Ohio State.

Explanation: This matchup presents an original game, as Penn State travels to Tuscaloosa for Kalen DeBoer's debut as Alabama's playoff coach. Despite playing in a non-conference setting, this game holds significant importance due to the Nittany Lions' impressive record under head coach James Franklin.

No.8 Ole Miss vs. No.9 Notre Dame:
Winner advances to face No.1 Georgia.

Explanation: This final matchup features four SEC teams, four Big Ten teams, one independent team (Notre Dame), one Big 12 team (Texas), one ACC team (Florida State), and one Group of Five team (Boise State) in the playoff. This composition aligns closely with previous CFP committee selections, emphasizing the importance of stacking wins for Big 12 and ACC teams vying for an at-large bid.