2 days Ago By Jake Rill
When the first College Football Playoff rankings were released earlier this week, Georgia was ranked No. 3, followed by Miami at No. 4.
The Bulldogs were the favorites to win the SEC, while the Hurricanes remained firmly atop the ACC. A lot can change in one week of a college football season, as it did on Saturday. Both Georgia and Miami suffered upset losses this week.
The Bulldogs went on the road and lost 28-10 at Ole Miss, and the Hurricanes took a 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech. The home fans stormed the field at both locations, with the CFP landscape getting shaken up in the process. Of course, both of those teams could still make the CFP, which has expanded to a 12-team format this season.
But they may no longer get a first-round bye, as those are given to the four highest-ranked conference champions. Here's a look at updated CFP projections following Saturday's Week 11 action, along with a breakdown of the current Playoff landscape. Byes 1.
Oregon (Big Ten champion) 2. Texas (SEC champion) 3. BYU (Big 12 champion) 4.
SMU (ACC champion) First Round No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Ohio State No.
11 Alabama at No. 6 Penn State No. 10 Indiana at No.
7 Georgia No. 9 Miami at No. 8 Tennessee Oregon will remain in the top spot in the CFP rankings after notching a 39-18 home win over Maryland on Saturday.
But whether the Ducks end up with a first-round bye will come down to their probable rematch against Ohio State that is likely to occur in the Big Ten Championship Game. For now, Oregon remains as the projected No. 1 seed.
And that will likely continue to be the case until conference championship week. Texas was No. 5 in last week's rankings, but it will move up after the losses by Georgia and Miami.
The Longhorns recorded a 49-17 home win over Florida, as Quinn Ewers threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns in the victory. The SEC remains fairly wide open, but Georgia now has a more difficult path to a conference title after suffering its second conference loss. A big matchup will be the Texas-Texas A&M showdown on Nov.
30, which could greatly impact the SEC Championship Game teams. BYU continues to be in position for a top-four CFP seed as the favorite to win the Big 12. The Cougars went on the road and defeated Utah 22-21 to remain undefeated.
Although SMU didn't play this week, it is now the only team in the ACC with an unblemished conference record. There's still plenty of time to go, but the Mustangs control their own destiny the rest of the way, meaning they could end up as the ACC champion. Expect Ohio State to remain at No.
2 in the CFP rankings after a 45-0 home win over Purdue. But for now, the Buckeyes can't be projected higher than the No. 5 seed, with Big Ten rival Oregon ahead of them in the standings.
That's why the Big Ten Championship Game will be so important in deciding the CFP bracket, as only one of Oregon and Ohio State can receive a first-round bye. Penn State (vs. Washington), Tennessee (vs.
Mississippi State), Indiana (vs. Michigan) and Alabama (at LSU) were all victorious this week. Each of those teams remains in the CFP field in the projections.
Boise State is currently the favorite to make the CFP as the fifth conference champion. The Broncos remain atop the Mountain West standings after their 28-21 win over Nevada. At this point, Georgia and Miami remain in the Playoff mix.
The Bulldogs and Hurricanes have more difficult paths to conference titles, but they could both receive at-large bids to the CFP. It will depend on how the rest of the season unfolds. It will be interesting to see how far Ole Miss moves up the College Football Playoff rankings after its upset win over Georgia.
The Rebels could play their way into the field down the stretch, especially if they build upon Saturday's momentum..
