{
  "id": 13900260,
  "title": "College Football Playoff Top 12 Prediction: Four First-Time Programs Projected In",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/college-football-playoff-top-12-prediction-four-first-time-programs",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-12T07:23:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/college-football-playoff-top-12-072343136.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the College Football Playoff nears its final 12-team field, there's a lot of movement on the list. James Madison, projected to finish 13-0 in the Sun Belt, is a strong contender for the Group of Six's spot. Wake Forest, with an 11-2 record, could be the final member of the Group of Six, provided they successfully beat SMU. Iowa, with a projected 10-2 record, is already past Ohio State and has victories over Michigan and Washington. UCLA, with an 11-1 record, could be the lucky team to join the Big Ten on the playoff list. The Indiana Hoosiers and Texas Longhorns, both projected for 11-2 and 10-2 records respectively, could also find their way into the playoff. Alabama and Utah, with 11-2 and 12-1 records respectively, are strong contenders for the higher seeded spots. Meanwhile, Notre Dame, with a perfect 12-0 record, remains a strong favorite to secure the top spot in the playoff.",
  "summary": "At the season’s halfway point, here’s our projected College Football Playoff Top 12, led by newcomers Iowa, UCLA, Wake Forest, and Utah.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}