College Football Playoff bracket predictions: Upsets galore in the first few rounds!

The College Football Playoff bracket is set, and we could not be more excited about it! For the first time ever, we have a 12-team field, featuring the five highest-ranked conference championships, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams. Outside of SMU beating out Alabama for the last spot in, nobody should have all that much of a problem about the 12 teams taking part in the playoff this year.

For this season, there will be four first-round games taking place at the higher ranked team's home stadium. The national quarterfinals will be the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls. The national semifinals will be the Cotton and Orange Bowls. This year's national championship game will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This year's champion will have so earned their trophy.

Here is the College Football Playoff field and the 12 teams still playing for a national championship.

1. Oregon Ducks (13-0) (Big Ten champion)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) (SEC champion)
3. Boise State Broncos (11-2) (Mountain West/Group of Five champion)
4. Arizona State Sun Devils (11-2) (Big 12 champion)
5. Texas Longhorns (11-2) (SEC runner-up)
6. Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) (Big Ten runner-up)
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-1) (National independent at-large)
8. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) (Big Ten at-large)
9. Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) (SEC at-large)
10. Indiana Hoosiers (11-1) (Big Ten at-large)
11. SMU Mustangs (11-2) (ACC runner-up)
12. Clemson Tigers (10-3) (ACC champion)

Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State get first-round byes to the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Peach Bowls, respectively. Oregon will face the winner of Tennessee at Ohio State. Georgia will draw the winner of Indiana at Notre Dame. Boise State would take on the winner of SMU at Penn State. A Arizona State would be playing the winner of Clemson at Texas. From there, it would be the semifinals!

Right now, I am going out on a limb and will predicting the entire playoff bracket for this bowl season.

College Football Playoff First-Round Projections

No. 12 Clemson Tigers at No. 5 Texas Longhorns

A first-round playoff matchup few saw coming. It will be a lot of orange in Austin with No. 5 Texas hosting No. 12 Clemson. While I think Clemson enters its first-round playoff matchup with a bit more momentum than Texas, I just have a hard time seeing the Longhorns offense completely laying an egg in back-to-back games. Plus, I saw how badly the South Carolina pass rush affected Clemson...

Pick: Texas 24, Clemson 21

No. 11 SMU Mustangs at No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions

A pair of Power Four conference finalists meeting in Happy Valley with No. 6 Penn State hosting No. 11 SMU. While Alabama fans will be so beyond angry that they are not getting a chance to play in this game, SMU will make a game of it. However, I see Drew Allar building on his great performance in the Big Ten Championship more than I do see Kevin Jennings repeating what he did in the ACC title bout.

Pick: Penn State 31, SMU 27

No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

It will be a pair of teams from The Hoosier State who rarely play each other going at it in this first-round matchup. No. 7 Notre Dame will be hosting No. 10 Indiana. Both teams were locks to make the playoff at 11-1. The way I see this game breaking is Curt Cignetti's offense being a bit too much for Marcus Freeman's defense to handle. A late touchdown lifts Indiana to pull of the first-round upset.

Pick: Indiana 33, Notre Dame 28

No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes

The first-round game everyone will have eyes will be between No. 9 Tennessee and No. 8 Ohio State. The Buckeyes came up limp in their rivalry weekend loss to Michigan, while the Vols crushed Vanderbilt in the final three quarters. This game might be in Columbus, but I have a feeling that Tim Banks' Vols defense may be too much for the Ohio State offense to handle for a full four quarters.

Pick: Tennessee 35, Ohio State 18

College Football Playoff National Quarterfinals Predictions

Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 4 Arizona State Sun Devils

Oh, this is going to be fun. No. 4 Arizona State will be waiting for No. 5 Texas in the Peach Bowl. It may be very far away from home for Kenny Dillingham's Sun Devils, but this is also a house of horrors for Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns after the SEC Championship Game. Unfortunately for Texas, the vaunted Longhorns defense is not going to be able to contain Cam Skattebo or Sam Leavitt at the bitter end.

Pick: Arizona State 31, Texas 30

Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 3 Boise State Broncos

Penn State will have a ton of momentum heading into its national quarterfinals matchup with the No. 3-seeded Boise State Broncos. James Franklin knows how to get his team fired up to play in bowl games. While Ashton Jeanty will get his on the ground, again, Drew Allar is going to be a problem for Spencer Danielson's defense. I am afraid the big stage is going to be a bit too much for the Broncos.

Pick: Penn State 41, Boise State 24

Sugar Bowl: No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs

Look what we have here... The Tom Crean Bowl is about to be happening in a big way, as No. 2 Georgia will be awaiting No. 10 Indiana in the Sugar Bowl. This was a potential first-round matchup had the Dawgs lost the SEC Championship Game to Texas. While Indiana proved its worth by beating Notre Dame in its first-round matchup, a well-rested Georgia team playing in a familiar venue lifts them here.

Pick: Georgia 34, Indiana 10

Rose Bowl: No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers vs. No. 1 Oregon Ducks

With Tennessee having pulled off the first-round upset by beating Ohio State in The Horseshoe to end Ryan Day's Buckeyes tenure, they will have to go play Oregon for The Grandaddy of Them All in The Rose Bowl. Oregon has not faced anything like an SEC pass rush this season, but Dan Lanning will make sure that Dillon Gabriel will be ready to rock in Oregon's biggest game in over a decade.

Pick: Oregon 28, Tennessee 24

College Football Playoff National Semifinals Predictions

Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs

The Orange Bowl would be a potential matchup we never saw during the first 10 years of the College Football Playoff. Georgia advances after beating Indiana in the Sugar Bowl, while Penn State gets to Miami with a win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. James Franklin may have the better pair of coordinators, but he is not Kirby Smart in these crucial situations. Georgia wins with a touchdown.

Pick: Georgia 28, Penn State 27

Cotton Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State Sun Devils vs. No. 1 Oregon Ducks

Look at who we have here... We have two former Pac-12 schools meeting in a national semifinals, as the Big Ten champion Oregon Ducks will take on the Big 12 champion Arizona State Sun Devils. Oregon beat Tennessee in the Rose Bowl to get here, while Arizona State knocked off Texas in a shocker to win the Peach Bowl. This game will not be all that close, as Oregon wins quite comfortably.

Pick: Oregon 37, Arizona State 28

College Football Playoff National Championship Prediction

College Football Playoff National Championship: No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 1 Oregon Ducks

That would mean our national championship game will be between mentor and protege, as Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs will take on Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks in Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the national championship. No, it will not be a laugher like the previous meeting was to kick off the 2022 college football season. Georgia will be victorious because of travel advantages, among other things.

Pick: Georgia 30, Oregon 28