College Football Playoff: Final 2022 rankings released

By Kevin Kelley -

The College Football Playoff has released their final set of rankings for the 2022 season, and the Georgia Bulldogs finish ranked first.

Georgia remained the top-ranked team after defeating LSU, 50-30, in the SEC Championship Game. Second-ranked Michigan also held their position after their 43-22 win over Purdue in the Big Ten Championship Game.

TCU held at three even after falling to Kansas State, 31-28 in overtime, in the Big 12 Championship Game. After USC fell in the Pac-12 Championship Game Friday night, Ohio State moved up from fifth to fourth to claim the last semifinal bid.

In the two semifinal games, top-ranked Georgia will play No. 4 Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., while No. 2 Michigan will battle No. 3 TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Both games are slated for New Year’s Eve (Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022).

Rounding out the top ten in the final College Football Playoff Rankings are (5) Alabama, (6) Tennessee, (7) Clemson, (8) Utah, (9) Kansas State, and (10) USC.

Check out the full CFP Top 25 rankings as well as the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six bowl game matchups below:

College Football Playoff: Final 2022 Rankings

1. Georgia (13-0)
2. Michigan (13-0)
3. TCU (12-1)
4. Ohio State (11-1)
5. Alabama (10-2)
6. Tennessee (10-2)
7. Clemson (11-2)
8. Utah (10-3)
9. Kansas State (10-3)
10. USC (11-2)
11. Penn State (10-2)
12. Washington (10-2)
13. Florida State (9-3)
14. Oregon State (9-3)
15. Oregon (9-3)
16. Tulane (11-2)
17. LSU (9-4)
18. UCLA (9-3)
19. South Carolina (8-4)
20. Texas (8-4)
21. Notre Dame (8-4)
22. Mississippi State (8-4)
23. NC State (8-4)
24. Troy (11-2)
25. UTSA (11-2)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 | 4pm ET, ESPN
(3) TCU vs. (2) Michigan
State Farm Stadium – Glendale, AZ

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 | 8pm ET, ESPN
(4) Ohio State vs. (1) Georgia
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, GA

CFP National Championship
Monday, Jan. 9, 2023 | 7:30pm ET, ESPN
SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEW YEAR’S SIX

Capital One Orange Bowl
Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 | 8pm ET, ESPN
(6) Tennessee vs. (7) Clemson
Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, FL

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 | 12pm ET, ESPN
(5) Alabama vs. (9) Kansas State
Caesars Superdome – New Orleans, LA

Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Monday, Jan. 2, 2023 | 1pm ET, ESPN
(16) Tulane vs. (10) USC
AT&T Stadium – Arlington, TX

Rose Bowl Game
Monday, Jan. 2, 2023 | 5pm ET, ESPN
(11) Penn State vs. (8) Utah
Rose Bowl Stadium – Pasadena, CA

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